title: Citizens of London: How Britain was Rescued in Its Darkest, Finest Hour
author:  Lynne Olson 
description: "<b>Citizens of London</b> is richly anecdotal and chock full of interesting and pertinent analysis, a riveting, well-researched account of a chapter in history when well-timed collaboration helped save the day." <br />--<i>London Free Press<br /></i><br />"Olson sifts through the immense amount of material on the period and crafts a cracking good read....Finely done." <br />--<i>New York Post<br /></i><br />"Plenty to appreciate thanks to Olson's storytelling skills, including recaps of romance that never seem too gossipy or out of place." <br />--<i>The Christian Science Monitor<br /></i><br />"[An] exceedingly well-told story...a superb trip to an amazing city in time of war."<br />--<i>The Providence Journal-Bulletin</i>
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  The Thames Valley Catastrophe  
    
  
  This page copyright © 2001 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com
  
  
  # The Thames Valley Catastrophe
  
  
  ### Grant Allen
  
  
  This page copyright © 2001 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  It can scarcely be necessary for me to mention, I suppose, at this time of
  day, that I was one of the earliest and fullest observers of the sad series of
  events which finally brought about the transference of the seat of Government
  of these islands from London to Manchester. Nor need I allude here to the
  conspicuous position which my narrative naturally occupies in the Blue-book on
  the Thames Valley Catastrophe (vol. ii., part vii ), ordered by Parliament in
  its preliminary Session under the new regime at Birmingham. But I think it
  also incumbent upon me, for the benefit of posterity, to supplement that
  necessarily dry and formal statement by a more circumstantial account of my
  personal adventures during the t