Dan Cruickshank examines the way in which London, a merchant city, successfully exported itself to places as diverse as Philadelphia and Calcutta. A journalist and architectural historian, Dan Cruickshank is the author of several books, notably London: the Art of Georgian Buildings. He is the editor of the twentieth edition of Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture, and from 1972 to 1992 worked as an editor on The Architectural Review and The Architects' Journal. As an historic buildings consultant, his projects have included Spencer House in St. James's, 18th century houses in Richmond, Spitalfields, Clerkenwell and Mayfair, and country houses in Hampshire and Suffolk. He is a Visiting Professor at the School of Architecture, University of Sheffield, and has become a household name as a television presenter of architectural and travel programmes.