London A Pilgrimage (Anthem Travel Classics) Paperback - 2005

First line

WE note between Greenwich and London that Commerce has not laid her treasures equally upon the right and left banks of the river, "as the herring-bone lies between the two sides" to use a Manx expression.

From the rear cover

'A little classic.'
"Times Literary Supplement"
'An historically fascinating and resonant piece of social history.'
"Laurence Phelan, Independent"
'An astonishing and beautiful book. Compulsory reading for every Londoner.'
"Nicola Barr, Guardian"
'The text and illustrations reveal a journey through a sacred place, a place of religious awe and terror where the secrets of the human world stand revealed - here are close, compacted streets filled with teeming and struggling life.'
Peter Ackroyd, from his Introduction
"London: A Pilgrimage" is an enlightening work that brings to life the chaotic and gloomy past of a great city on the cusp of modern times. 180 incredible etchings by Gustave Dore escort Jerrold on his odyssey through the pulsating city, into the Lambeth gas works, seedy opium dens and grubby bathing houses; peering curiously into the desperate lives of the flower sellers, lavender girls and organ grinders. "London: A Pilgrimage" was conceived in 1868 by the journalist and playwright Blanchard Jerrold. Accompanied by the famous artist Gustave Dore, Jerrold prowled every corner of the heaving metropolis, sometimes with plain-clothes police for protection. "London: A Pilgrimage" is every bit a forgotten classic of social journalism, a frank and brutal look at the poverty stricken, gin-swilling London of the nineteenth century, written in a perceptive, bold and gripping style.
Peter Ackroyd's excellent introduction sheds further light on the period and the context in which Jerrold and Dore felt compelled to reveal to the world the squalor into which London was slowly sinking. His many publications include "London: The Biography" (Chatto & Windus, 2000) and "The Lambs of London" (Chatto & Windus, 2004).
Blanchard Jerrold (1826-1884) was both journalist and playwright, with "Cool as a Cucumber" the most successful of his plays. He was also editor of "Lloyd's Weekly News."
Gustave Dore (1832-1883) was an amazingly gifted artist and among his many works are illustrated editions of "Paradise Lost," "The Bible" and "The Idylls of the Kings."