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No city can survive without water, and lots of it. Today we take the stuff for granted: turn a tap and it gushes out. But it wasn't always so. For centuries London struggled to supply its citizens with reliable, clean water. The Mercenary River tells the story of that struggle from the middle ages to the present day.

Bringing together new research, Nick Higham tells a tale of remarkable technological and scientific breakthroughs with an underbelly of greed and complacency, high finance and low politics. From the murky tale of how the world's most powerful steam engine made its way to London to remarkable breakthroughs such as the picturesque New River, The Mercenary Tale is a thrilling exploration of London and its transformative relationship with water.