Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections

Books on London

Social Life & Customs

In this category are books dealing with all aspects of London's social life. London society has long been a study in contrasts--rich and poor, West End and East End. While some would debate whether the landed gentry should be considered Londoners at all, the fact is from the sixteenth century onwards the upper classes came to London in ever-larger numbers for business and, not least, the pursuit of pleasure. With few exceptions, it is the social life and customs of these upper classes that are portrayed in the works listed here--their conspicuous display, modes of fashion, forms of entertainment and leisure--and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are especially well represented. The books have been grouped into seven subcategories: Descriptions of People & Social Life; Fashion, Costume, Grooming & Manners; Language & Letter Writing; Sporting, Amusements & Leisure; Heraldry & Pageants; Clubs; and Marriage & Domestic Life.

Under the subheading Descriptions of People & Social Life, the collection's earliest work is J. L. Ferri de St. Constant's Londres et les Anglais (1810), a record of the author's observations on Londoners at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. More humorous accounts can be found in Henry Luttrell's Advice to Julia (1820), all about the balls, parties, and amusements of London society, written in rhymed verse; the series of books beginning with Reminiscences of Captain Gronow: Being Anecdotes of the Camp, the Court, and the Clubs (1862) by soldier, diarist, politician and man-about-town, Rees Howell Gronow; and William Makepeace Thackerey's Book of Snobs: and, Sketches and Travels in London (1869), containing observations on Londoners, originally produced as a series of sketches for Punch. Also under this subheading, from the nineteenth century are John Hogg's London as It Is: Being a Series of Observations on the Health, Habits, and Amusements of the People (1837), The Night Side of London (1857) by James Ewing Ritchie, a temperance advocate, and Ehrman Syme Nadal's Impressions of London Social Life (1875); and from the twentieth, Malcolm C. Salaman's Londoners, Then and Now (1920) and Oliver Madox Hueffer's Some of the English (1930).

Bryn Mawr's earliest work in this category--under the subheading: Fashion, Costume, Grooming & Manners--is An Account of the Societies for Reformation of Manners, in London and Westminster (1699) by Josiah Woodward, a minister of the Church of England who preached against the evils of profanity and debauchery. On the subject of grooming, the collection includes The New London Toilet (1778), containing beauty recipes and advice on the art of hairdressing. Thomas Lord Busby's Costume of the Lower Orders of the Metropolis (1810?) is one of this category's few exceptions to works focused on the upper classes, the latter represented in James Peller Malcolm's Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London, during the Eighteenth Century (1808). Providing a colourful and much less serious picture of London fashion, manners and social life is Real Life in London (1822), an anonymous work based on the popular model of Pierce Egan's Life in London.

Egan was a London sports writer and humourist whose Life in London books--recounting the adventures of the fictitious Corinthian Tom and Jerry Hawthorn--give a lively account of the city's sporting gallants and amusements in thedays of the Regency. Illustrated by Robert Cruikshank (brother of George), these tales of the rich young Regency beaux were some of the earliest examples of journalism covering popular culture rather than the royal court and politics, and also the origin of the phrase "Tom and Jerry," meaning to fight, drink and cause trouble. Bryn Mawr's edition of Life in London (1822) is probably a synopsis of one of the plays based on Egan's work, with illustrations that also closely imitate Cruikshank's. Additional works by Egan in the collection are The Finish to the Adventures of Tom, Jerry, and Logic (1887) and The True History of Tom and Jerry: or, The Day and Night Scenes of Life in London (1888). Also under the subheading of Sporting, Amusements & Leisure are John Wight's Sunday in London (1833), illustrated by George Cruikshank, The Bachelor's Guide to Life in London (1855), and William Biggs Boulton's Amusements of Old London (1901).

On a closely related topic, the London collection has a number of books dedicated to the city's various clubs. Among them are Charles Pigott's Female Jockey Club, or, A Sketch of the Manners of the Age (1794), Charles Marsh's Clubs of London (1828), Percy Hetherington Fitzgerald's Garrick Club (1904) and Lewis Benjamin's Beaux of the Regency (1908), the last containing an enlightening chapter on the many clubs and their members during the Regency period. Several farcical accounts of London's clubs from eighteenth-century satirical poet Edward Ward are listed under the Satire & Humour category.

In his burlesque manner, Ward also treated the subject of marriage in London; two such works owned by the College can be found in Satire & Humour. Here, the subcategory of Marriage & Domestic Life contains only a few books, including John Farley's London Art of Cookery and Housekeeper's Complete Assistant (1804) and London Marriage Licences, 1521-1869 (1887), edited by Joseph Foster.







Bibliography:

Descriptions of People & Social Life



Ferri, Giovanni, conte di St. Constant, 1755-1830

Londres et les Anglais / par J. L. Ferri de St. Constant

Paris : Fain, Colnet, Demongie, Debray, an XII [i.e. 1810]

DA677 .F4 1810



Gronow, R. H. (Rees Howell), 1794-1865

Captain Gronow's last recollections : being the fourth and final series of his reminiscences and anecdotes

London : Smith, Elder, 1866

DA536.G86 A2 1866



Gronow, R. H. (Rees Howell), 1794-1865

Celebrities of London and Paris ; being a third series of reminiscences and anecdotes of the camp, the court, and the clubs; containing a correct account of the coup d'etat, by Captain R. H. Gronow.

London, Smith, Elder, 1865

DA536.G86 A2 1865



Gronow, R. H. (Rees Howell), 1794-1865

Recollections and anecdotes : being a second series of reminiscences of the camp, the court, and the clubs / by R. H. Gronow

London : Smith, Elder, 1863

DA536.G86 A2 1863



Gronow, R. H. (Rees Howell), 1794-1865

Reminiscences of Captain Gronow : being anecdotes of the camp, the court, and the clubs at the close of the last war with France / related by himself ; with illustrations

London : Smith, Elder, 1862

DA536.G86 A2 1862



Heath, William, 1795-1840

Oddities of London life / by Paul Pry

London : R. Bentley, 1838

DA688 .H38 1838



Hogg, John, 1803-1880

London as it is : being a series of observations on the health, habits, and amusements of the people

London : John Macrone, 1837

Uncat 7318



Hueffer, Oliver Madox, 1877-1931

Some of the English, a study towards a study, by Oliver Madox Hueffer

New York, D. Appleton and company, 1930

DA688 .H8 1930



Luttrell, Henry, 1765?-1851

Advice to Julia : A letter in rhyme

London : J. Murray, 1820

821.2 L978a



Massingham, Hugh

The London anthology / [by] Hugh and Pauline Massingham. Illus trations editor: Hilde Kurz

London : Phoenix House, 1950

DA688 .M33 1950



Nadal, Ehrman Syme, 1843-1922

Impressions of London Social Life : with other papers suggested by an English residence

London : Macmillan and Co., 1875

Uncat 7473



Nicholson, Dorothy Lamb Brooke, lady

The Londoner / [by] Lady Nicholson. With 8 plates in colour and 20 illustrations in black & white

London : W. Collins, 1944

914.21 N521l



Ritchie, James Ewing, 1820-1898

The Night Side of London

London : Wm. Tweedie, 1857

Uncat 7311



Salaman, Malcolm C. (Malcolm Charles), 1855-1940

Londoners, then and now, as pictured by their comtemporaries, with commentary by Malcolm C. Salaman

London, New York, The Studio, 1920

DA688 .S2 1920



Sitwell, Sacheverell, 1897-

Morning, noon and night in London / by Sacheverell Sitwell

London : Macmillan, 1948

914.21 Si8m



Smith, Charles Manby

The little world of London : or, Pictures in little of London life / by Charles Manby Smith

London : A. Hall, Virtue and Co., 1857

I3606175x



Sutherland, James Runcieman, 1900-

Background for Queen Anne

London : Methuen, [1939]

914.21 Su84b



Thackeray, William Makepeace, 1811-1863

The book of snobs : and, Sketches and travels in London / by W. M. Thackeray ; with illustrations by the author

London : Smith, Elder, 1869

PR5610 .A1 1869



Thackeray, William Makepeace, 1811-1863

The book of snobs, and, Sketches and travels in London / by W.M. Thackeray ; with illustrations by the author

London : Smith, Elder ; Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott, 1869

PR5610 .A1 1869b



Williams, Montagu Stephen, 1835-1892

Round London; down east and up west / by Montagu Williams

London and New York : Macmillan and co., 1892

DA683 .W72 1892



Lady Ottoline's album : snapshots and portraits of her famous contemporaries (and of herself), photographed for the most part by Lady Ottoline Morrell : from the collection of her daughter, Julian Vinogradoff / with an introd. by Lord David Cecil ; edited by Carolyn G. Heilbrun

New York : Knopf, 1976

DA676.8.A1 L3 1976



The Connoisseur / by Mr. Town, critic and censor-general

Oxford, Printed for J. Rivington ... [et al.], 1774

PR1365 .C6 1774



The Spectator : with notes and a general index / from the London stereotype edition

New York : Printed by Samuel Marks, 1826

Uncat 11,396



Wonderful London, its lights and shadows of humour and sadness

London, Tinsley Bros, 1878

I32776925



Fashion, Costume, Grooming & Manners

Busby, Thomas Lord

Costume of the lower orders of the metropolis [by] T.L.B

[London, Samuel Leigh, 1810?]

GT730 .B8 1810



Malcolm, James Peller, 1767-1815

Anecdotes of the manners and customs of London from the Roman invasion to the year 1700 ... : To which are added, illustrations of the changes in our language, literary customs, and gradual improvement in style and versification, and various particulars concerning public and private libraries ... / By James Peller Malcolm ..

London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1811

q914.21 M292a



Malcolm, James Peller, 1767-1815

Anecdotes of the manners and customs of London, during the eighteenth century, including the charities, depravities, dresses, and amusements of the citizens of London during that period, with a review of the state of society in 1807, to which is added a sketch of the domestic and ecclesiastical architecture and of the various improvements in the metropolis, illustrated by fifty engravings, by James Peller Malcolm

London, Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1808

DA677 .M25 1808



Wheatley, Henry Benjamin, 1838-1917

Hogarth's London: pictures of the manners of the eighteenth century / by Henry B. Wheatley .

New York : E. P. Dutton and co., 1909

ND497.H7 W5 1909



Woodward, Josiah, 1660-1712

An account of the societies for reformation of manners, in London and Westminster, and other parts of the kingdom. With a persuasive to persons of all ranks, to be zealous and diligent in promoting the execution of the laws against prophaneness and debauchery, for the effecting a national reformation .

London, B. Aylmer [etc.] 1699

Uncat 12,526



Worsley-Gough, Barbara

Fashions in London / by Barbara Worsley-Gough

London : Allan Wingate, 1952

GT738 .W6 1952



Real life in London : or, The rambles and adventures of Bob Tallyho, esq., and his cousin, the Hon. Tom. Dashall, through the metropolis, exhibiting a living picture of fashionable characters, manners, and amusements in high and low life / by an amateur ; embellished and illustrated with a series of colored prints, designed and engraved by Messrs. Alken, Dighton, Rowlandson, &c

London : Printed for Jones, 1822

DA688 .R4 1822



The new London toilet, or, A compleat collection of the most simple and useful receipts for preserving and improving beauty ... : with every species of cosmetic that may be useful in improving beauty, or concealing the ravages of time and sickness : to which is added a treatise on the art of managing, improving and dressing the hair on the most improved principles of the art

London : Printed for Richardson and Urquhart ..., 1778

TX151 .N58 1778

Language & Letter Writing

Franklyn, Julian

The Cockney : a survey of London life and language / Julian Franklyn

London : A. Deutsch, 1953

I34122205



Hollingshead, John

Plain English ..

London : Chatto and Windus, 1880

824 H72p



Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784

The new London letter writer : containing the compleat art of corresponding with ease, elegance, and perspicuity as is now practiced by all persons of respectability / by Samuel Johnson, M.A. ; Foreword and decorations by Averil Mackenzie-Grieve

London : Golden Cockerel Press, 1948

PE1481 .J5 1948



Pegge, Samuel, 1733-1800

Anecdotes of the English language; chiefly regarding the local dialect of London and its environs; whence it will appear that the natives of the metropolis and its vicinities have not corrupted the language of their ancestors. In a letter from Samuel Pegge ... to an old acquaintance, and co-fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London

London, Printed by J. Nichols and son, for F. and C. Rivington, T. Payne, and J. White, 1803

PE1961 .P4 l803



Walker, John, 1732-1807

A critical pronouncing dictionary : and expositor of the English language... : to which are prefixed, principles of English pronunciation... : likewise, rules to be observed by the natives of Scotland, Ireland and London for avoiding their respective peculiarities, and directions to foreigners for acquiring a knowledge of the use of this dictionary : the whole interspersed with observations, etymological, critical, and grammatical / by John Walker

Philadelphia : Printed by Budd and Bartram for H. & P. Rice, M. Carey, J. Conrad, S. F. Bradford, T. & W. Bradford, B. Johnson, J. Johnson, J. & J. Crukshank, J. M'Culloch, H. Sweitzer, W. Woodhouse, D. Hogan, J. Thackara, J. Groff, J. Morgan, J. Humphreys, & J. Ormrod, 1803

PE1620 .W3 1803



Sporting, Amusements & Leisure

Boulton, William Biggs

The amusements of old London

London : John C. Nimmo, 1901

Uncat 10,030



Egan, Pierce, 1772-1849

The finish to the adventures of Tom, Jerry, and Logic : in their pursuits through life in and out of London / by Pierce Egan ; with numerous illustrations by Robert Cruikshank

London : Reeves & Turner, 1887

PR4649.E45 L55 1887



Egan, Pierce, 1772-1849

The true history of Tom and Jerry; or, The day and night scenes of life in London from the start to the finish! With a key to the persons & places, together with a vocabulary and glossary of the flash and slang terms ... by Charles Hindley

London, Reeves and Turner, [1888]

PR4649.E45 T7 1888

Great Britain. Sovereign (1625-1649 : Charles I)

King Charles the First's Declaration to his subjects concerning lawful sports to be used on Sundays, 1633

London : Reprinted for Bernard Quaritch, 1862 ([London] : Chiswick Press)

BV133 .G74 1633a



Newnham-Davis, Lieut.-Col. (Nathaniel), 1854-1917

The gourmet's guide to London / by Lieut.-Col. Newnham-Davis

New York : Brentano's, 1914

DA688 .D27 1914



Wight, J. (John)

Sunday in London / illustrated in fourteen cuts by George Cruikshank ; and a few words by a friend of his [i.e. John Wight] ; with a copy of Sir Andrew Agnew's bill

London : Effingham Wilson, 1833

DA683 .W5 1833



Fights for the championship : and celebrated prize battles : or accounts of all the prize battles for the championship from the days of Figg and Broughton to the present time, and also of many other game and extraordinary battles between fist-rate pugilists of ancient and modern times / compiled from Bell's life in London, Boxiana, and original sources, by the Editor of Bell's life in London

London : Published at Bell's life office, 1855

GV1121 .F4 1855



Fistiana; or, The oracle of the ring ... By the editor of Bell's life in London [i.e. Frank L. Dowling]

London, Clement, 1841

GV1133 .F4 1841



Life in London, or, The adventures of Jerry Hawthorn ... Corinthian Tom ... and Bob Logic ..., being a faithful portraiture of high & low life, from Almack's in the West, to All-Max in the East

London, W. Mason [1822]

PR3991.A1 L4 1822



The bachelor's guide to life in London ... [Anon.]

London, Ward's Readable Book Depot [c1855]

DA679 .B32 1855



Heraldry & Pageants

Guillim, John, 1565-1621

A display of heraldry / By John Guillim ... Improv'd with large additions of many hundred coats of arms, under their respective bearings, with good authorities from the Ashmolean library, Sir George Mackenzie, &c. With his tract of precedency, containing all his rules, observations, arguments, and chief instances. To which is added, A treatise of honour military and civil, according to the laws and customs of England. By Capt. John Logan. Illustrated with the arms, crests, supporters, and motto's of the royal family, and nobility: the arms of the sees of the English bishops, and several of the gentry. Together with the proper habits of the different degrees of the nobility of England, and the emblems of the chief orders of knighthood in Europe; all fairly engraven on copper plates. Also an exact list of the baronets, from their first creation to this present time; and most of their arms blazon'd. With an account of the customs, government, and privileges of the city of London, the other cities of England, and shire-towns of each country, and their arms. Likewise a supplement of scarce tracts relating to the office of arms, taken from authentick copies. And a dictionary, explaining the several terms used by heralds, in English, Latin and French. With proper tables to the whole

London : Printed by T. W. for R. and J Bonwicke and R. Wilkin, and J. Walthoe and T. Ward, 1724

f929.72 G946d



Nichols, John Gough, 1806-1873, comp

London pageants. I. Accounts of fifty-five royal processions and entertainments in the city of London; chiefly extracted from contemporary writers ... II. A bibliographical list of Lord mayors' pageants

[London] Printed by and for J. B. Nichols and son, 1837

I33172390



Official programme of the procession on the occasion of the entry of the H.R.H. the Prince of Wales and the Princess Alexandra into the city of London on Saturday, March 7th, 1863

[London] : W. S. Fortey, 1863

DA560 .O37 1863



The Quenes Maiesties passage through the citie of London to Westminster the day before her coronacion. Edited by James M. Osborn; with an introd. by John Neale

New Haven, Published for the Elizabethan Club [by] Yale University Press, 1960

I34137579

Clubs

Benjamin, Lewis, Saul, 1874-1932

The beaux of the Regency, by Lewis Melville [pseud.]

London, Hutchinson & co., 1908

DA521 .B39 1908



Burnett, Frances Hodgson, 1849-1924

The Drury Lane Boy's Club

Washington, D.C. : Press of The Moon, 1892

d818 B934d



Fitzgerald, Percy Hetherington, 1834-1925

The Garrick Club, by Percy Fitzgerald

London, E. Stock, 1904

DA687.G3 F5 1904



Marsh, Charles, 1774?-1835?

The clubs of London; with anecdotes of their members, sketches of character, and conversations

London, H. Colburn, 1828

DA686 .M35 1828



Pigott, Charles, d. 1794

The female Jockey Club, or, a sketch of the manners of the age ... By the Author of the Former Jockey Club

[London] Printed for D.I. Eaton, 1794

DA522.A1 P65 1794



Savile Club, London

The Savile Club. 1868-1923

[London] : Printed privately for the committee of the club, 923

Uncat 8678



Marriage & Domestic Life

Foster, Joseph, 1844-1905

London marriage licences, 1521-1869 / edited by Joseph Foster from excerpts by Colonel Chester

London : Bernard Quaritch, 1887

I36061712



Farley, John, 18th cent

The London art of cookery and housekeeper's complete assistant

London : Scatcherd & Letterman, 1804

TX705 .F35 1804



Webster, Thomas, 1773-1844

An encyclopaedia of domestic economy : comprising such subjects as are most immediately connected with housekeeping ... / by Thomas Webster, assisted by Mrs. Parkes

London : Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1844

TX145 .W4 1844





