Henry Mayhew’s London is an edited selection from Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor.
London Labour and the London Poor is an extraordinary book. In it, Henry Mayhew describes the lives of people from the margins of Victorian society, ranging from pickpockets to dung gatherers, and from hot eel sellers to peep show exhibitors.
London Labour and the London Poor owes its origins to journalism which originally appeared in the Morning Chronicle. The success of Henry Mayhew’s journalism in the Morning Chronicle encouraged him to continue collecting accounts of the lives of the London poor. These accounts were brought together in three volumes in 1861. In 1862, this was followed by a fourth volume, with material from other contributors.
Henry Mayhew’s London contains pieces from each of the four volumes. The pieces have been selected to give the reader a sense of the variety and richness of London Labour and the London Poor.
Who should buy this book?
London Labour and the London Poor is an invaluable source for anybody interested in social history, and for anybody interested in Victorian London and Victorian street life.
The selection of material from London Labour and the London Poor in Henry’s Mayhew London is intended for:
- readers coming to London Labour and the London Poor for the first time;
- readers who already own an edited edition of London Labour and the London Poor, but who wish to read parts of Mayhew’s writing not found in the edition that they own.
Note: Henry Mayhew’s London contains material not found in the OUP edition of London Labour and the London Poor. Material in Henry Mayhew’s London which is not found in the OUP edition is marked with an asterisk in the list of contents below.
Henry Mayhew’s London contains the following extracts from London Labour and the London Poor:
Of the Wandering Tribes of this Country*
Of the London Street Folk
Of the Obsolete Cries of the Costermongers*
The London Street Markets on a Saturday Night
Gambling of the Costermongers*
Marriarage and Concubinage of the Costmermongers*
Religion of the Costmermongers*
Of the Nicknames of Costermongers
The Life of a Coster Lad*
Of the "Penny Gaff"*
Of the Cries, Rounds and Days of Costermongers
Of the Forestalling of the Markets and the Billinsgate Bummarees*
Of Covent Garden Market
Of Orange and Lemon Selling in the Streets*
Of Christmasing – Laurel, Ivy, Holly and Mistletoe*
Of the Experience of a Hot Eel and Pea Soup Man*
Of the Preparation and Quantity of Sheep’s Trotters, and of the Street Sellers*
Of the Street Trade in Baked Potatoes*
Of the Street Sellers of Bread*
Of the Experience of a Hot Green Pea Seller*
Of the Experience and Customers of a Ginger Beer Seller*
Of the Street Sale of Milk*
Of Street Piemen
Of the Street Sellers of Plum “Duff” or Dough*
Of the Street Sellers of Cough Drops and of Medical Confectionary*
Of “Cocks” etc*
Of Religious Tract Sellers*
Of the Filth, Dishonesty and Immorality of Low Lodging Houses*
Of the Sale of Periodicals on the Steam Boats and Steam Boat Piers*
The Crippled Street Seller of Nutmeg Graters
Of the “Duffers” or Hawkers of Pretended Smuggled Goods
Statement of a Young Pickpocket
Of the Street Seller of Crackers and Detonating Balls
Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Carpeting, Flannels, Stocking-Legs, &c., &c.*
Of the Music "Duffers"*
Of the Street-Sellers of Second Hand Curiosities*
Of the Street-Sellers of Second Hand Telescopes and Pocket Glasses*
Of the Street-Sellers of Second Hand Apparel*
Of the Street Sellers of Women's Second Hand Apparel*
Of the Second-Hand Sellers of Smithfield Market*
Of the Street-Sellers of Live Birds*
Of the Crippled Street Bird-Seller*
Of the Tricks of the Bird-Duffers*
Of the Street-Sellers of Snails, Frogs, Worms, Snakes, Hedgehogs, Etc.*
Of the Street-Sellers of Tan-Turf*
Bone-Grubbers and Rag-Gatherers
Of the "Pure"—Finders*
Of the Cigar-End Finders
Of the Old Wood Gatherers*
Of the London Sewerage and Scavengery*
Crossing-Sweepers
The Sewerman*
Her Majesty's Bug-Destroyer*
Beetle Destroyers*
Guy Fawkeses*
An Old Street Showman*
Peep-Shows*
Gun-Exercise Exhibitor—One-Legged Italian
Scotch Piper and Dancing-Girl*
Street Glee-Singers*
The Sneaks, or Common Thieves
Cheats
