I want to read some good books about life in Victorian London. Can anyone recommend some good ones to look at?

Answer 1

Dickens is good, but the book you want is Henry Mayhew - London Labour and The London Poor. Mayhew interviewed people from all walks of life and took financial detail from them and it is stonking good stuff - read the section about "The Street Clown" or "The Sandwich Seller" - you will laugh while still being appalled at peoples lives. This is the history they should teach in schools, you won't regret it.
Cheers, Steve.

Answer 2

Dickens is good.

The Laurie King Mary Russell books are fun and descriptive.

The Anne Perry mysteries are very Victorian.

They are children's books, but Frances Hodgeson Burnett's A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy are entertaining and contain a lot of information about different social classes.

Edward Rutherford's London in the quintessential history of London, but only part of it is about the Victorian period.

Answer 3

Yes, anything by Dickens. He was probably the best chronicler of the time as to social norms and customs of the Victorian era.
Especially Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and David Copperfield.
Also go here for some more sources:
http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Victorian.html

Answer 4

Are you looking for fiction or non-fiction?

For fiction, I'd look at Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde. They're all Victorian writers.

Here's a link to a non-fiction book that corresponds directly to your question:
http://www.amazon.com/Way-People-Live-Victorian-England/dp/1560063912/sr=1-1/qid=1170888093/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5651246-3013608?ie=UTF8&s=books

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Agree with the Dickens recommendations.

The Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories also offer a valuable insight into late Victorian life and contain less waffle and caricature.

Answer 6

Most answers covered. Fiction is often more revealing and easy to read I find.
Victorian writers: Dickens, Trollope, Mary Gaskell (north of England)
Conemporary writers: Anne Perry has to be the best but there are others(can't remember names)
Cynthia Eagle-Harrods (?) wrote a very good "diary" of Victoria called "I, Victoria" I think.

Answer 7

Oliver Twist

Answer 8

Agree absolutely with previous Conan-Doyle and Dickens references. Also, and here's an interesting one, try 'Diary of a Nobody' by George and Weedon Grossmith. If only to make you realise that peope haven't changed that much in over a century!

Answer 9

Oliver Twist.

Answer 10

The first responder was right: Dickens. Award him/her 10 points.Next, Anthony Trollope, Galsworthy,