For this month's Book Tuesday we have a classic "eye witness" account of the ordinary people of London in the middle of the 19th Century.
First published in 1851 as "London Labour and London Poor" by Henry Mayhew and expanded to a giant three volume epic treatise of the same name in 1861. This book is the quintessential look at how ordinary people lived and worked in the very center of the Empire.
Dickens referenced it frequently while writing his stories.
This condensed version published in 1951 is still 590 pages of dense text, a slow slog to be honest if one was to read it through, but incredibly fascinating to peruse on a nice Summer day.
It is also a good background on why people would leave "civilized" places like London for the "wilds" of Western Canada.
Enjoy
The Victorian Society of Alberta
Edited by Peter Quennel
Mayhew's London being selections from 'London labour and the London poor' which was first published in 1851. This book, "Mayhew's London", by Henry Mayhew, is a replication of a book originally published before 1851. It has been restored by human beings, page by page, so that you may enjoy it in a form as close to the original as possible.
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