LONDON SOCIAL HISTORY BOOKS
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There are literally thousands of books on London social history. This is just a small selection. I’ve stuck to books that are either in print or reasonably easy to obtain (many excellent works have been out of print for many years, sadly). To find out more about a book or to find stockists most of them, I suggest Googling or using Online Bookshops …
Although the books cited are generally non-fiction and ‘serious’ (to a greater or lesser degree) social history accounts of London, the novels of the time are not to be discounted in providing another interpretation of London lives. Dickens firstly comes to mind, but the works of George Gissing are well worth reading especially if your interest lies with the lower middle classes and working classes of London.
The first section is London General with some specialist subjects, the second are more local/personal social histories.
The London Compendium: A Street-by-street Exploration of the Hidden Metropolis by Ed Glinert
Cross-referenced and a decent(ish) index. A good encyclopaedic snapshot of popular (and some not so popular) London streets with history and social context. Presented in small ‘chunks’ you can flip from section to section for ages, so good bedtime (or loo!) reading.
London Labour and the London Poor Vols I and II by Henry Mayhew
Essential reading of contemporary studies/surveys, can be pricey as there are a number of volumes but fairly easy to get second-hand copies. These are hefty, detailed works, but very worthwhile. Recommended!
The London Underworld in the Victorian Period: Authentic First-person Accounts by Beggars, Thieves and Prostitutes: v. 1 by Henry Mayhew
Like most of Mayhew’s books, essential reading for the London Social Historian.
Pictures from Mayhew.: London 1850 by John Seed
Extracts from Mayhew’s writings, I suppose possibly a ‘potted’ Mayhew? Though I’ve never seen it.
Victorian London: The Life of a City 1840-1870 by Liza Picard
A more lightweight book, a little short on facts sometimes, but entertaining at the same time
Dr. Johnson's London: Everyday Life in London in the Mid 18th Century by Liza Picard
Interesting and a good overview.
London Revealed: Uncovering London's Hidden History by Julian Shuckburgh,
A coffee table book takes aerial photos of London and overlays them with numerous subject maps detailing the spread of cholera in the 1800s, the Jack the Ripper murders, extent of German bombing in World War II and many more. Fun, for a while …
Bacon's up to date street map of London 1902 Old House Books
Glimpse into the city of a century ago, as London exploded in size and swallowed large chunks of Essex, Kent and Surrey, not to mention the whole of Middlesex. Railway and underground maps and the original accompanying booklets from the time.
London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd
800 pages! Chapters on drinking, sex, childhood, poverty, crime and punishment, sewage, food, pestilence and fire, immigration, maps, theatre and war etc. Not particularly by cup of tea – sprawling and not very in depth, but a good beginning overview if that’s what you’re looking for.
London: A Short History by AN Wilson
Look at the architecture of the capital and how it has shaped and been shaped by the people of London. Not one of my particular favourites but has some ‘good bits’.
London's Necropolis: A Guide to Brookwood Cemetery by John M. Clarke
In the mid-nineteenth century the volume of London's dead was causing considerable public concern. So in 1850 the idea of a great metropolitan cemetery, situated in the suburbs and large enough to contain all of London's dead for an indefinite period, was promoted. The cemetery, which now contains almost 240,000 burials, is still privately owned and administered Each chapter is supported by maps, and there are about 100 black and white photographs to illustrate some of the most interesting memorials and cemetery buildings.
to be continued ...