The Shoreditch Tales (isbn 9780956322210, £9.95)

This is a story of the people and place, ‘where survival and vitality shine through a turbulent past and present'. This book, with its beautifully balanced combination of terrific photographs and text, will appeal to anyone with an interest in the area. Told in their own words, this is a tribute to Shoreditch residents, which encompasses both the past and, above all, a very real present. The book contains over 100 photos and illustrations, from Victorian times up to the 1980s, many of which had never been published before.