Coster Girls and Mudlarks

Henry Mayhew was a journalist on a London newspaper in the 1850s, writing a series of articles about working-class London.

These were collected and published in book form in 1861 as "London Labour and the London Poor".

Mayhew interviewed Victorian workers and documented what they thought about their jobs, and their lives. And uniquely among Victorian social investigators, he recorded people's own accounts, giving generous space to direct quotation.

Mayhew allowed his subjects to speak for themselves and the results are fascinating.

From costermongers to cutlery sellers and crossing sweepers; from watercress and flower girls to Thames watermen and bus drivers; from street photographers and acrobats to scavengers and song sellers: the range is amazing.

This book will be based on a selection of Mayhew's interviews, supported by the author's narrative and additional material, such as contemporary songs, poems, advertisements and engravings.

The intention is to create an entertaining and varied resource of Victorian life with strong curriculum, as well as trade, appeal.