Famous Frosts and Frost Fairs in Great Britain / Chronicled from the Earliest to the Present Time

A vivid exploration of the rare, climatic events between the 17th and 19th centuries when the River Thames froze solid, transforming London's primary artery into a bustling "ice city." This book chronicles the famous frost fairs—from 1684 to the last in 1814—where revelers set up shops, taverns, and printing presses on the ice. Moving beyond the spectacle of roasted oxen and skating, this work highlights the socio-economic impact of the brutal Little Ice Age on the city's poor and the dangerous realities lurking beneath the festive, frozen surface.