London Labour and the London Poor

The London Labor and the London Poor is an extraordinary work of investigative journalism, a work of literature, and a groundbreaking work of sociology. The book is a collection of interviews with street traders, entertainers, thieves, and beggars, all told by Mayhew himself. He conducted hundreds of interviews, which revealed that the two nations of rich and poor in Victorian Britain were much closer than many people thought. The first-hand accounts of the costermongers and street-sellers, of sewer-scavenger and chimney-sweep are intimate and detailed. Mayhews understanding for them is highly effective in his writing style, which made him sympathetic to their living conditions.