Let Me Take You by the Hand: True Tales from London's Streets

In 1861, Henry Mayhew published "London Labour and the London Poor," an oral history of those living and working on the streets of Victorian London. Jennifer Kavanagh explores the changes and continuities by collecting and mapping stories from today's London, where beggars, street entertainers, stalls, thieves, and the sex trade are still predominant, and the rise of the gig economy has brought a multitude of drivers and cyclists. Resources such as workhouses, almshouses, paupers' lunatic asylums, shelters, day centers, hostels, and food banks have replaced them. "Let Me Take You By The Hand" is an x-ray of life on the streets today.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 03 June 2021
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

In 1861, the renowned journalist and social advocate Henry Mayhew released London Labour and the London Poor, an oral history that captured the lives of individuals living and working on the streets of Victorian London. This groundbreaking endeavor marked a significant departure from previous attempts to document the lives of the urban poor.

While the streets of London in 1861 and in 2019 may appear vastly different on the surface, a closer examination reveals striking and, in many cases, shocking similarities. Drawing inspiration from Mayhew's book, Jennifer Kavanagh embarked on a project to explore the changes and continuities by collecting and mapping stories from contemporary London.

The streets of modern London still teem with beggars, street entertainers, stalls offering a diverse range of food, clothing, second-hand goods, thieves, and the sex trade. The rise of the gig economy has brought with it a multitude of drivers and cyclists, who use their smartphones to coordinate deliveries and movements of goods, as well as transporting meals and people, all while navigating the same streets as Mayhew's informants. The precarity faced by this new workforce mirrors the challenges encountered by street sellers during Mayhew's time.

In terms of resources, the workhouses, almshouses, paupers' lunatic asylums, which were once prevalent, have given way to shelters, day centers, hostels, and food banks. These institutions serve as vital support systems for those facing poverty and homelessness.

Let Me Take You By The Hand offers an insightful x-ray of life on the streets today, presenting the stories of those who work and reside in our capital in their own words. This captivating collection provides a profound understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by individuals living in urban environments, highlighting the resilience and determination of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Weight: 552g
Dimension: 147 x 225 x 41 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781408713143