Migrant City

“Admirably thorough. . . . Anyone curious about the impact of migration on the history and culture of London could do worse than read the chapter on food in this exhaustive history.”—Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times

“Panayi’s wonderfully detailed study is a glorious celebration of how migrants have contributed to London’s rich and many-stranded cultural identity: ‘cosmopolitanism has characterized the evolution of London since the arrival of the Romans who founded this city of immigrants.’”—PD Smith, The Guardian, “This Month’s Best Paperbacks”

“This book convincingly argues that, more than in any other city in Europe, let alone the world, migrants have shaped the destiny of London.”—Francis Ghiles, Esglobal

“Panayi’s superb study demonstrates how migrants have been crucial in the flourishing of skills, labour, and knowledge that have made London a cosmopolitan city.”—Charlotte Faucher, Journal of Contemporary History

“Immigrants from near and far are the lifeblood of any great city, none more than London. This is a masterly and invaluable history of a neglected topic.”—Simon Jenkins, author of A Short History of London

“An eclectic integration of interviews, personal stories, case-studies and historical analyses, Migrant City: A New History of London tells a powerful story about London’s reliance on immigration. Its potency comes from its incontrovertibility; without immigration, London would not exist as we know it. Panayi bravely confronts the lazy and often arbitrary distinction between immigrant and native to boldly showcase what it really means to be a Londoner in the modern world.”—David Lammy, MP for Tottenham and campaigner for the Windrush generation

“The history of London book I’ve been waiting a London lifetime for—Panayi delivers modern and ancient truths about this city through a personal, heartfelt style that beats from the page. In these divisive times, this is an urgent and necessary history of our capital city.”—Sabrina Mahfouz, contributor to The Good Immigrant