Victorian London: The Life of a City 1840-1870

Liza Picard was born in 1927. She is the bestselling author an acclaimed series of books on the history of London: ELIZABETH'S LONDON, RESTORATION LONDON, DR JOHNSON'S LONDON and VICTORIAN LONDON. Her most recent book, CHAUCER'S PEOPLE, explores the Middle Ages through the lives of the pilgrims in THE CANTERBURY TALES. She read law at the London School of Economics and was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn, but did not practise. She worked for many years in the office of the Solicitor of the Inland Revenue before retiring to become a full-time author. She lives in London.

Anton Lesser has played many of the principal roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company including Petruchio, Romeo and Richard III. His film work includes Charlotte Grey, Eroica and The River Queen. He is active in radio and spoken word audio, with a range from Paradise Lost and Homer to Hamlet. He is particularly known for recording the novels of Charles Dickens, having won a Spoken Word Award for Great Expectations.