Books Features

Book love: London Unfurled By Matteo Pericoli a panoramic love letter

By April MacIntyre Mar 25, 2012, 20:29 GMT

Artist Matteo Pericoli’s incredible drawings of the north and south banks of the Thames, from Hammersmith Bridge to the Millennium Dome, are like a painterly rendering of Google Earth.

It's not every day a book unfolds to 37 feet, and realistically depicts one of my favorite cities, London.

Gift book extraordinaire, London Unfurled is an ambitious and well-executed accordion-style presentation containing a detailed panorama of London.

Artist Matteo Pericoli’s incredible drawings of the north and south banks of the Thames, from Hammersmith Bridge to the Millennium Dome, are like a painterly rendering of Google Earth. 

This pictorial has every bridge, pier, chimney, roof line and church steeple that lines the river.  The book also features essays by Iain Sinclair and Will Self.

After spending two laborious weeks in London—in which he walked more than 60 miles, took more than 6,300 photographs and destroyed a pair of shoes—Pericoli devoted two years to capturing the North and South sides of the Thames in two 37-foot-long pen-and-ink panoramas.

London Unfurled makes for a perfect gift, and is a unique coffee-table that turns into an art project if you let the kids use it as a coloring book. It's great fun and for those who know and love the city, it's a great way to find your 'spots' and see if the artist gave your favorite destination its due.

The actual book is available for the iPad. You can scroll through the two panoramas and tap on specific buildings for more information, including an audio guide. You can also frame sections of the drawing and mail it off as a virtual postcard. The author demonstrates the app in the video below.

The result is a jaw-dropping profile of one of the world’s most impressive cities, filled with recognizable landmarks—such as the Houses of Parliament and the Tate Modern—lesser-known buildings, boroughs, bridges and an overall sense of place.

With each panel drawn in incredible detail and a small booklet that contains a key to the drawings, *London Unfurled* is a truly one-of-a-kind work that will please fans of artistic marvels and Anglophiles alike.

You can purchase this book at www.ipgbook.com. or call 1 800-888-4741