Dirty Old London

In Victorian London, filth was everywhere: horse traffic filled the streets with dung, household rubbish went uncollected, cesspools brimmed with "night soil," graveyards teemed with rotting corpses, the air itself was choked with smoke. In this intimately visceral book, Lee Jackson guides us through the underbelly of the Victorian metropolis, introducing us to the men and women who struggled to stem a rising tide of pollution and dirt, and the forces that opposed them. Through thematic chapters, Jackson describes how Victorian reformers met with both triumph and disaster.
Full of individual stories and overlooked details--from the dustmen who grew rich from recycling, to the peculiar history of the public toilet--this riveting book gives us a fresh insight into the minutiae of daily life and the wider challenges posed by the unprecedented growth of the Victorian capital.

About the author

Lee Jackson is a well-known Victorianist and creator of a preeminent website on Victorian London (www.victorianlondon.org).

Product details

• Authors: Lee Jackson
• Publisher: Yale University Press Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.10.2015
• EAN: 9780300216110
• ISBN: 978-0-300-21611-0
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 200 mm x 25 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; Non-fiction book; London, Greater London, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, European History, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Georgian Era (1714-1837), HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Victorian Era (1837-1901), c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, British & Irish history, Social and cultural history