Cover art from a UK release of Neil Stephenson’s Quicksilver

Another one that (currently) doesn’t seem that easy to Google (even though it should be!)

Whilst engaged in a summer re-read of Neal Stephenson’s Quicksilver, I found myself contemplating the picture of the Great Fire of London they’d used as the basis for the book cover. The rear cover names it as ‘The Great File of London 1666‘ with an unknown artist and notes that it’s sourced from the Museum of London, but doesn’t provide a direct URL.

Anyway, a little searching get you to this – The Great Fire of London.

Not only do you get a much better view of the old St Pauls, you also get a good view of both the Tower of London and of the old London Bridge. And it actually looks far better without the red tint that the cover artist applied to boot!

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