Welcome
There are few literary figures as associated with
this time of year as Charles Dickens, so it seemed
only appropriate to close out the year looking at
a piece of history through his eyes for our cover
feature. Our look at mid-19th century London
will hopefully give you a better understanding
of the world in which Dickens worked and the
kinds of people who inspired his most famous
characters. It was a city of massive and rapid
change, of great opportunity and wealth, and
a city of great deprivation, crime and disease.
It’s fascinating to reflect on how different the
English capital was in those years and how much
of it has survived to this day.
We’ve reach out across the globe for our
supporting stories this issue, such as to medieval
Uzbekistan to learn about the polymath Ibn
Sina, through the Middle East and out to China
to explore the Silk Road, out to Japan for theorigins of the warlords known as daimyo, to
Hawaii to reflect on the attack on Pearl Harbor,
across Europe to discover the history of judicial
duels, and back to England to learn about the
forgotten Tudor princesses Mary and Margaret.
I hope it’s a round trip you’ll enjoy and one that
might entice you to join
us again (perhaps taking
advantage of our special
subscription offer on
page 24). And if you’re
gift hunting we have a
guide for that too that
you may find helpful
on page 62.Jonathan
Gordon
Editor©^ GettyImagesBe part of history /AllAboutHistory
Facebook Twitter
@AboutHistoryMaghistoryanswers.co.uk
Share your views and opinions onlineFuture Publishing Limited
Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA
Editorial
Editor Jonathan Gordon
[email protected]
Art Editor Kym Winters
Features Editor Callum McKelvie
Staff Writer Jessica Leggett
Production Editor Iain Noble
Editor in Chief Tim Williamson
Senior Art Editor Duncan Crook
Contributors
Edoardo Albert, Jeremy Black, Martyn Conterio,
Catherine Curzon, Marc DeSantis, Jem Duducu,
Mike Haskew, Beth Wyatt
Cover images
Joe Cummings, Alamy, Getty Images
Photography and illustration
Joe Cummings, Kevin McGivern, Adrian Mann, Peter Doyle,
Alamy, Getty Images, Thinkstock
All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected.
Advertising
Media packs are available on request
Advertising Director Matthew Johnston
[email protected]
07974 408083
Account Manager Garry Brookes
[email protected]
020 3970 4176
International Licensing
All About History is available for licensing and syndication.
To find our more contact us at [email protected] or
view our available content at http://www.futurecontenthub.com
Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw
Subscriptions
Enquiries [email protected]
Order line & enquiries +44 (0) 330 333 1113
Online orders & enquiries http://www.magazinesdirect.com
Group Marketing Director, Magazines & Memberships
Sharon Todd
Circulation
Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers
Production
Head of Production Mark Constance
Production Project Manager Clare Scott
Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby
Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson
Production Manager Nola Cokely
Management
Content Director Gemma Lavender
Chief Growth Officer Claire MacLellan
Commercial Finance Director Louise Dudfield
Managing Director Sarah Rafati Howard
Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker
Printed by Wyndeham Peterborough, Storey’s Bar Road,
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 5YS
Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf,
London, E14 5HU http://www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9060
ISSN 2052-
We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture.
The paper in this magazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic
standards. The manufacturing paper mill and printer hold full FSC and PEFC certification and accreditation.
All contents © 2021 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored,
transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885)
is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for
information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies
in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this
publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes
or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and
you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of
publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material you submit is
sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors
or licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise
stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt allSCAN TO
JOIN OUR
NEWSLETTER
The Great Exhibition took place in 1851,
a year after David Copperfield was
published and shortly before Bleak HouseFuture plc is a public company quoted on the
London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR)
http://www.futureplc.comNon-executive chairmanChief executive Richard Huntingford Zillah Byng-Thorne
Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand
Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244