Time travel to Dickens’ London in seconds with app

On Dec.9, Museum of London launched an iPhone and iPad app, geared to transport its readers back to the great writer’s London. The launch coincides with the opening of the exhibition named Dickens and London.

Loaded with graphics, text and narration, it takes the users to the grubby backstreets of London of 1862. The audio-video combination recreates the atmosphere that inspired this writer of the novels like Great Expectations and Oliver Twist.

The app-cum-novel has an interactive media that facilitates the readers to interact with the stories, making the whole experience very lively. The reader can accompany Dickens on his night walks and get a feel of the city, which the writer used to call “magic lantern”. The streets of London have been brilliantly re-imagined by illustrator David Foldvari. While reading, one can compare the Victorian streets of London with the modern Google images of the city.

Actor Mark Strong of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” fame has lent his voice as the narrator of the stories. According to him, this app, developed by Brothers and Sisters creative agency, takes the reader on a tour of the darker side of Victorian London.

This interactive graphic novel is called Dickens: Dark London. The first edition, named Seven Dials, is free to download from Apple iTunes. However, the subsequent ones shall be available at £1.49.