Mayhew's London; Being Selections from 'london Labour and the London Poor'

by Henry Mayhew (creator)

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Victorian, Travel, London, History

604 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2010

About the author

Henry Mayhew (1812-1887) was an English social researcher, journalist, playwright and advocate of reform. He was one of the co-founders of the satirical and humorous magazine Punch in 1841. He is also known for his work as a social researcher, publishing an extensive series of newspaper articles in the Morning Chronicle that was later compiled into the book series London Labour and the London Poor (1851), a groundbreaking and influential survey of the city's poor.

Reviews

[Norland Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult read, not because of the archaic style and language of Victorian times, but the harrowing accounts of people born into grinding poverty and who knew no other way life other than a daily struggle to survive.

The stoicism they showed is remarkable and stands in stark contrast to many of the attitudes of the current day. Even an eight-year-old girl, selling watercress for fourteen hours a day displayed a pragmatic view of life. It was her lot, and she got on with it as best she could.

Worth a look if only to appreciate how hard life can be for those at the bottom of the heap. Far, far stronger and more noble characters than many of those at the top.

[Alex Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I periodically re-read sections from this (or look at the sketches!). It reminds me that London is a magical place with a rich history. It's the ordinary people who have made, and continue to make, this city so special.