Chris Roberts

Who is Chris Roberts?

Chris Roberts is a librarian in South London, England, and sometime walking tour guide, as he is the proprietor of F and M Walking Tours in London. The stories that Roberts incorporated into his walking tours became the inspiration for his book Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme. which was first published in November 2003 with a limited print run of 2000 copies. What began as a self-published project in the UK soon attracted worldwide publicity, including coverage in USA Today. It also received some criticism for its speculative nature and lack of scholarship. The book is now widely available as it was re-published by both Gotham Books and Granta.

Roberts has also written Cross River Traffic on the history of bridges over the Thames. One Eye Grey, a series of penny dreadful booklets for the 21st century is another self-published venture. These contain short stories based on London folklore. In June 2010 he published Football Voodoo — a study of black magic and superstition in the world of football.

Roberts lived in New York City for several years after earning a degree in history at Swansea University. He also lived in Berlin for a while before settling in London.