The massive expansion of London during the 19th century created a city of variety and extremes - grandeur and ugliness, poverty and great wealth. This book brings together early photographs and vivid prose to recapture the spirit of London 100 years ago. The pictures come from the author's own collection and from the collections of the Guildhall Library and the London Metropolitan Archives. They show royalty and the aristocracy, the professionals and the growing middle class, the office-workers and street-sellers and the vast working population. They also offer a glimpse of trends in fashion and entertainment, and recall changing modes of transport and types of work at the beginning of the 20th century.