A History of the Cries of London, Ancient and Modern

About this book

The work is a scholarly compilation that traces the evolution of London’s street‑cry tradition from its earliest manifestations to the Victorian era. Hindley begins by recounting his own research process, detailing a series of letters exchanged in 1876 with the Rev. Thomas Hugo, a rector who supplied him with rare Bewick wood‑cuts and other visual material. The narrative proceeds through a litany of acknowledgments, source lists, and auction notices, all of which illustrate the author’s painstaking effort to gather illustrations, contemporary accounts, and earlier histories such as Knight’s London and Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor. The opening therefore establishes the book as a documentary‑rich reference, anchored in primary correspondence and an extensive bibliography, rather than a fictionalized account of city life.

Written in a formal, 19th‑century prose style, the text reflects the erudite tone of a Victorian antiquarian. Its dense cataloguing of letters, wood‑engraving credits, and publishing details will appeal to historians of urban culture, collectors of early print media, and readers who enjoy meticulous, source‑driven studies of London’s social customs. Those with an interest in the visual heritage of street vendors and the craft of wood‑engraving will find Hindley’s methodical approach both informative and rewarding.