Daily Life in Johnson's London

by Richard B. Schwartz

"Rich in facts and anecdotes, this is the perfect introduction to 18th-century London and a wonderful companion for readers of Johnson and Boswell. . . . Schwartz starts with the sights, sound, and smells of the metropolis—a city of steeples, chimneys, coal smoke, and intolerable street noise—and surveys in succession Work and Money, Pastimes and Pleasures, Daily Routines and Domestic Life, Travel and Transportation, and Health and Hygiene and concludes with a gallery of street 'Londoners,' an independent and assertive lot, notably insolent to foreigners, especially those in French clothes."—Washington Post Book World

"Outstanding. . . . The author packs a remarkable quantity of detail into a small space, even including a discussion of price and wage figures that will be intelligible to Americans [today]. . . . His prose is lucid, graceful, lively. Generously illustrated, the book also includes an extensive bibliography."—Choice

"An excellent source for English Literature and history students studying this period or Samuel Johnson."—Booklist

Genres: History, Nonfiction, London, 18th Century

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 1983

Reviews

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, both informative and entertaining. It describes everyday life of people in 18th-century London made famous in literature and in particular Boswell’s famous biography of Dr. Johnson. The author describes what London looked, sounded, and smelled like (hint: you don’t want to know), domestic life, what people did for work and for pleasure, health and hygiene (again, you don’t want to know), and law enforcement. The book isn’t a dry compendium of statistics, as the information is enlivened with personal anecdotes and reports from tourists of the day.

If you ever worry about the world going to hell (which I do only daily), a few pages of this book will reveal the enormous progress society has made. The author is also very good at putting old conventions and attitudes into context. For example, he argues that Johnson’s belief in the importance of subordination and people keeping in place makes some sense in a society with no police force and a corrupt legal system, in which citizens were at the mercy of mobs or the ever-colorful Londoners on the street.

I worried the book might be dry, but in fact it was highly enjoyable and interesting. Illustrations from contemporary engravings enliven the proceedings.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strangely, this is also one of my favorite books of all time. Required reading during a class on 18th century literature, this book was the highlight of the class! This book is "rich in facts and anecdotes" about the harsh and bawdy reality of life in London! I was laughing and gasping as I imagined a life in which people bathed annually or semi-annually if they were lucky; a life in which the streets and sidewalks were covered with human and animal waste and one might get a shower from an upstairs apartment's chamber pot while walking down the street. Highly recommended to anyone about to study 18th century lit or anything by Samuel Johnson.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summary of everydaylife in London in the 18th century