nairn's london

I've been meaning to seek out an old copy of Nairn's London for ages. It's been out of print for years, not that easy to get hold of and a bit pricey when you find it, but ever since I read an extract about Highgate Cemetery in an anthology I've had half an eye out for it in old bookshops. Got this old paperback copy from an Amazon seller today.

Ian Nairn seems like a lost national treasure. He was a wonderful writer - snappy, familiar, erudite and opinionated. This bit is fairly typical of the whole book - a guide to the streets and buildings of London in the late 60s. He was a broadcaster too, and an obvious influence on the splendid Jonathan Meades. Although I've only seen it once, I vividly remember some film of him barging through the Munich Beer Festival, railing about something to the camera, snarling at drunken people to get out of his way. I want to take this book to London now, and see if I can find what has and hasn't changed :)