Tuesday, March 8, 2016

An 1828 Guide to London Pitfalls & Scams

Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Doctor Syntax Overboard
Loretta reports:

In my Endnotes to Dukes Prefer Blondes, I quote from John Bee’s A Living Picture of London, 1828, which is well worth exploring.

To begin with, there’s the full title:
A LIVING PICTURE OF LONDON FOR 1828 
AND
STRANGER’S GUIDE
THROUGH THE STREETS OF THE METROPOLIS;
SHEWING THE FRAUDS, THE ARTS, THE SNARES AND WILES OF ALL 
DESCRIPTIONS OF ROGUES, THAT EVERY
WHERE ABOUND; 
WITH
SUITABLE ADMONITIONS, PRECAUTIONS, AND ADVICE HOW TO 
AVOID OR DEFEAT THEIR ATTEMPTS; 
Interspersed with 
SKETCHES OF COCKNEY MANNERS, LIFE, SOCIETY,
AND CUSTOMS;
And supported throughout by numerous
CASES, ANECDOTES, AND PERSONAL ADVENTURES. 
By JON BEE, Esq.
AUTHOR OF A DICTIONARY OF THE VARIETIES OF LIFE, &c. 
~
To which is appended, the Author's former 
“HINTS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE POLICE;”
WITH FURTHER SUGGESTIONS, FACTS, AND REMEDIES.

The short excerpt below, from the chapter about what to expect when you get off the boat, is a fine example. You can find the “regulated fares of watermen” here.

Out-door Delinquencies


Jon Bee, A Living Picture of London, for 1828, and Stranger's Guide.

Image, possibly by Robert Cruikshank, from Doctor Syntax Through London, “Doctor Syntax Shoots London Bridge & Pops Overboard.

Clicking on the image will enlarge it.  Clicking on the caption will take you to the source, where you can learn more and enlarge images as needed.

2 comments:

Karen Douglas said...

Just made plans to attend your group book signing on March 20 in Vero Beach. I'm so looking forward to meeting you and the other authors. I have the first Dressmakers book loaded on my Kindle, but I"m waiting until I get to the signing to buy the other three. I figure the bookstore should profit somehow from this. I've enjoyed everyone one of your books and went back to "the Lion's Daughter(?)" to try one of your older books. I loved it. I'm eager to read Dukes Prefer Blondes, but I am waiting until after the signing........grrrrrr, that's so hard.........

Karen Douglas
Largo Fl
about 160 miles from Vero Beach....

L. May said...

Reprint of the 1828 book is available at Amazon and others:

ISBN: 9781236475367

 
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