Rosemary F. (canadianeh) reviewed Picketpockets, Beggars and Ratcatchers: Life in the Victorian Underworld on + 242 more book reviews
The fascination of this period comes from the macabre brutality and yet vitality of the poor. Includes illustrations by Gustave Dore, with descriptive text, from the London Times. Sometimes recounts stories in their "original language", requiring a bit of imagination in translation! The organization of life in this society, where people manage to survive in squalor by their own wits, reminds me of the slums India that I have read about.
