London 1849

A short note tonight as I am anxious to sit down for a couple of hours with a new book that just arrived from the History Book Club. It’s entitled London 1849; A Victorian Murder Story. The author is Michael Alpert. It purports to be a social history of London in the mid-19th century when lots of things were happening. The story revolves around the murder of Patrick O’Connor by Maria and Frederick Manning. Such things as the bus, the railway, the penny6 post, anaesthetics and the Telegraph were coming into being. Contraception, antiseptics and the employment of women for other than sweat labor and acting as governesses was beginning.

We’ve visited England a dozen times and always spend a week and sometimes more in London. We’ve done a lot of walking there. I find it a fascinating city. I remember being delighted last visit to walk from Trafalgar Square to St. Paul’s and thence to Seven Dials, where Agatha Christie set one of her mysteries. I’m anticipating that this book will tell me more about this city. It may turn out to be as fascinating as Peter Ackroyd’s London.