Twice Round the Clock

by George Augustus Sala

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878 edition. Excerpt: ... TEN O'CLOCK P.M.--A DISCUSSION AT THE "BELVIDERE," AND AN ORATORIO AT EXETER HALL. Exists there, in the whole world, civilised or uncivilised, a nation of such inveterate grumblers as the English? We grumble at everything. We are five-and-twenty millions of bears afflicted with perpetually sore heads. Are we charged sixpence extra for a bed? is the tail of our mutton-chop underdone 1 does our mockturtle soup disagree with us? is a railway train late ? or the requisite amount of hop deficient in our pale ale ? does an Italian itinerant split our ears while we are endeavouring to solve the Seventh Problem in the First Book of Euclid 1 does the editor or manager refuse to return the manuscript of our poems or our farces? do we buy a silk dress that turns out to be nine-tenths cotton? are we surcharged by tho commissioners of income-tax, (they say I make a thousand a year, I say I don't make a hundred and fifty; but may difference of opinion never, et cetera)? forthwith we call for pen, ink, and paper, and indite a letter to the "Times," that providential safetyvalve for the great legion of grumblers. What are our public meetings but organised arenas of grumbling? what the "leaders" in our Sunday newspapers but extra facilities for grumbling after we have been grumbling all the week 1 I think it was Mr. Horace Mayhew, in his "Model Men and Women," who told the story of a waiter at a citytavern, who took but one holiday in the course of the year, and then enjoyed himself by paying a visit to another waiter at another tavern, and assisting him in laying the knives and forks. In like manner the ordinarily-understood holiday for the gentlemen of the daily press-- there being no diurnals published on Sunday--is Saturday; whereupon, after lying in...

Genres: History, Victorian

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1859

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sala has a wonderfully entertaining writing style, and the book's format (a tour of a different part of 19thc London at each hour of the day and night) is fascinating. I don't know why more people haven't heard of/read this book.

[Bruce Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salsa does like to show off his flowery language and his extensive vocabulary but he does give a fantastic detailed insight into the day to day life of Victorians.