The great fire of London is lodged in the collective consciousness, and like other notorious disasters in history, continues to captivate the imaginations of people today. When preparing to write this astounding book, acclaimed author Neil Hanson discovered that there were many facets of the tragedy that remained unexplored. This enthralling, often horrifying narrative is the unforgettable culmination of his studies.In 1666, London is still recovering from its latest bouts with the bubonic plague, and memories of the Black Death are still fresh. When a small fire breaks out in a downtown bakery, it spreads with alarming speed through the crowded city streets, from one desiccated wooden structure to the next. Becoming a conflagration of epic proportions, the firestorm rages like a dragon and ultimately razes half the city.Though the fire itself may have been hell on earth, the smoldering aftermath plumbs the depths of depravity like few moments in human history.