The first modern tale of urban apocalypse, in which Victorian London is overwhelmed by killer fog ...

12. Mord Em'ly, by William Pett Ridge (1901)

    'Mord Em'ly' [Maud Emily] is one of the great anti-heroines of Victorian literature - read about girls, gangs and salvation in turn-of-the-century South London ...

11. Adventures of an American Girl in Victorian London,
  by Elizabeth L. Banks (1894) [orig. title: 'Campaigns of Curiosity']

     An American lady journalist goes undercover to find out what
     life is like for servants and other lowly employees ...

10. Dust, Mud, Soot & Soil: The Worst Jobs in Victorian London
  by Lee Jackson (2012)

    Exploring the secret world of the dustman, chimney sweep, sewer flusher and many more ...

9. The Wilds of London, by James Greenwood (1874)

    Another tour of London's dark underbelly, from a detailed first-hand description of life as a convict, in Newgate and Portland, to the midnight burial of a suicide.

8. The Diary of a Murder, by Lee Jackson (2011)

    A murder-mystery set in 1860s Islington - the death of a housewife - the diary of her husband. But who is her killer?

7. The Journal of a Disappointed Man, by W.N.P. Barbellion (1919)

    One of English literature's great overlooked diarists, a fascinating slice of Edwardian life, composed by a writer with a fine wit and waspish sense of humour.

6. Twice Round the Clock, by George Augustus Sala (1859)

    A 24-hour tour of the metropolis, beginning at 4am in Billingsgate, and moving around the city with each passing hour.

5. The Seven Curses of London, by James Greenwood (1869)

    A voyage through the low life of London, including prostitution, baby-farming and rat-baiting.

4. Daily Life in Victorian London : an Extraordinary Anthology, edited by Lee Jackson (2011)

    BESTSELLER! Over 17,000 copies sold of this entertaining anthology of the mundane and the astonishing. Discover how your ancestors really lived.

3. Curiosities of London Life, by Charles Manby Smith (1853)

    A journalist explores the nooks and corners of the capital, from the rise of the pie-shop, to the dastardly trade of dog-stealing.

2. London and Londoners in the 1850s and 1860s, by Alfred Rosling Bennett (1924)

    A brilliant, idiosyncratic memoir of life in the mid-century, full of fascinating details.

1. The Hooligan Nights, by Clarence Rook (1899)

    A 'true story' of a young criminal on the streets of 1890s Lambeth, in his own words.