Bustling cities are the ideal settings for novels, from London’s unique personality to Edinburgh’s gothic atmosphere. And for many others, books can serve as literary passports that take them anywhere in the world from the comfort of their own homes.
But which UK cities are mentioned in literature the most? The printing professionals at Aura Print looked through the enormous Google volumes corpus (a repository offering 25 million volumes) to find all references to 31 well-known UK cities in books published between 1920 and 2019.Unsurprisingly, London tops the list to be named the most well-known British city in literature. This city was featured an astounding 286,675,501 times, which is more than nearly five times as many times as all other cities examined. The British city, dubbed by Charles Dickens as the “magic lantern” that sparked his imagination, has hosted a plethora of books during the past century.
A Tale of Two Cities, Sherlock Holmes, and The House by the Thames are three books to read in London.
Cambridge (52,028,629) is in second place, with Oxford (51,723,380) trailing behind as the two long-time rivals compete once more. Cambridge distinguishes itself as a more ideal location for writers compared to its historical rival, Oxford, in which both form a good backdrop for crime and mystery books, thanks to the lovely banks of the River Cam and the well-traveled cobble streets.
The Longest Journey, Death of an Expert Witness, and The Versions of Us are three books to read in Cambridge.
Oxford book suggestions include His Dark Materials, The Last Enchantments, and Brideshead Revisited
With an amazing 23,578,466 mentions in novels over the previous 100 years, Manchester takes the fourth rank. The famous metropolis in the “south of the north,” with its secret neighborhoods and rich industrial history, inspires Gothic and horror authors with its revolutionary spirit.
Manchester book suggestions: Sirens, Vurt, and Mary Barton
Birmingham completes the top five UK cities with the most articles written on them. With a respectable 22,321,473 book references, Birmingham has captivated novelists for decades, garnering 74% more literary attention than Worcester, its neighboring city, which is ranked tenth (11,808,009 mentions).
Source- Travel dailyLink- https://www.traveldailymedia.com/10-most-written-about-uk-cities-in-literature-new-study-reveals/