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Volume 1: Of the London Street-folk

• The author separated the London street people into six categories: sellers, buyers, finders, performers, artisans and laborers.

• None of these people had a fixed place of business or licenses and they plied their goods on the sidewalks or streets.

• Street sellers were categorized by the type of merchandise sold. Street vendors account for 75 percent of those earning a living on the streets.

• The other street people were finders, performers, prostitutes or criminals.

• Mayhew made generalizations about the different types of street people and lumped many of them together as if they were the same individual.
• The Victorian belief about cities was that they were unhealthy and Mayhew claims that skilled laborers suffered from chronic depression.

• Costermongers were the largest group of the working poor in London and were vendors who sold merchandise in the street.

• Most costermongers lived day to day hoping to...

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