Life and Labour of the People in London was a multi-volume book by Charles Booth which provided a survey of the lives and occupations of the working classes of late nineteenth century London. Three editions were published in all, the first 1889-1891, the second 1892-1897, the third 1902-1903. A noteworthy feature of the study was the production of maps describing poverty (see illustration on the right), with levels of wealth and poverty found by the research's investigators being mapped out on a street by street basis.[1] The note books containing the raw data generated by this investigation are held at the Archives Division of the British Library of Political and Economic Science (London School of Economics)[2].
First edition edit
The first edition was published in two volumes as Life and Labour of the People, Vol. I (1889) and Labour and Life of the People, Vol II (1891).[3] An appendix was also published. The famous maps were sold under separate cover.
Second edition edit
The second edition was entitled Life and Labour of the People in London, and was produced in 9 volumes 1892-97.
- Vol. I - East, Central and South London (1892)
- Vol. II - Streets and Population Classified (1892)
- Vol. III - Blocks of Buildings, Schools and Immigration (1892)
- Vol. IV -
- Vol. V -
- Vol. VI -
- Vol. VII -
- Vol. VIII -
- Vol. IX -
Again, the maps were published under separate cover, originally priced at 3 shillings and 6 pence. An introductory note to Volume V of the second edition makes clear that, "quote"... Furthermore, in Volume IX, an offer to exchange copies of the first edition for the second edition at little to no cost was extended "in order..."
Third edition edit
A third edition, running to a grand total of seventeen volumes appeared 1902-3,[4] consisting of 4 volumes on Poverty, 5 volumes on Industry, 7 volumes on Religious Influences and 1 final volume.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ http://booth.lse.ac.uk/static/a/4.html Charles Booth Online Archive: Poverty maps of London (Accessed March 2011)
- ^ Inquiry into the life and labour of the people in London (1886-1903) (Charles Booth Online Archive)
- ^ The reversal of the words in the title of the second volume was due to the original title "Life and Labour" being claimed by Samuel Smiles who wrote a similarly titled book in 1887.
- ^ Charles Booth's London (1969) edited by Albert Fried and Richard Elman. London, Hutchinson
External links edit