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People of the Abyss
de London, Jack
- Usado
- Bueno
- Tapa dura
- First
- Estado
- Bueno
- Librería
-
Baldwinsville, New York, United States
Formas de pago aceptadas
Sobre este artículo
New York: The MacMillan Company, 1903. First Edition . Cloth. Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. [photographs]. Near Fine. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1903. First Edition [BAL 11877], Sisson & Martens p. 15. Signed and inscribed by Becky London to her friend Mark Zamen. Photographically illustrated. Hefty octavo, xiii,[1],319,[1]+[3]ad pp. Gray/Blue cloth stamped in black and gilt, Top Edge Gilt. Rubbing and light soiling at spine and cover, leaving some wear to gilt, else basically flawless. Near Fine. The true first edition, in a rather exceptional state of preservation, of People of the Abyss, perhaps the scarcest of London's ventures into social investigative journalism. In 1902, posing as an out-of-work sailor, he "went underground into the belly of the beast" - the slums of London's East End - where, living on the street and working odd jobs, he was accepted by the locals and was able to collect the experiences retold here. Widely lauded and reprinted still as an activist socio-political masterpiece, it also deeply affected London himself, who said: "No other book of mine took so much of my young heart and tears as that study of the economic degradation of the poor." L85
Sinopsis
The experiences related in this volume fell to me in the summer of 1902. I went down into the under-world of London with an attitude of mind which I may best liken to that of the explorer. I was open to be convinced by the evidence of my eyes, rather than by the teachings of those who had not seen, or by the words of those who had seen and gone before. Further, I took with me certain simple criteria with which to measure the life of the under-world. That which made for more life, for physical and spiritual health, was good; that which made for less life, which hurt, and dwarfed, and distorted life, was bad.It will be readily apparent to the reader that I saw much that was bad. Yet it must not be forgotten that the time of which I write was considered "good times" in England. The starvation and lack of shelter I encountered constituted a chronic condition of misery which is never wiped out, even in the periods of greatest prosperity.Following the summer in question came a hard winter. Great numbers of the unemployed formed into processions, as many as a dozen at a time, and daily marched through the streets of London crying for bread. Mr. Justin McCarthy, writing in the month of January 1903, to the New York Independent, briefly epitomises the situation as follows:-"The workhouses have no space left in which to pack the starving crowds who are craving every day and night at their doors for food and shelter. All the charitable institutions have exhausted their means in trying to raise supplies of food for the famishing residents of the garrets and cellars of London lanes and alleys. The quarters of the Salvation Army in various parts of London are nightly besieged by hosts of the unemployed and the hungry for whom neither shelter nor the means of sustenance can be provided."It has been urged that the criticism I have passed on things as they are in England is too pessimistic. I must say, in extenuation, that of optimists I am the most optimistic. But I measure manhood less by political aggregations than by individuals. Society grows, while political machines rack to pieces and become "scrap." For the English, so far as manhood and womanhood and health and happiness go, I see a broad and smiling future. But for a great deal of the political machinery, which at present mismanages for them, I see nothing else than the scrap heap.
Reseñas
El Oct 5 2010, Ctjjc55 dijo:
This is a very interesting book set in London in the first decade of the twentieth century. You can read it as a social history as long as you remember what Alexander Masters writes in the foreword to the book; 'as an objective, trustworthy analysis, Abyss won’t do at all'.In 1902 Jack London moves temporarily into East End, disguised as a poor inhabitant. He observes and tells us about how the poor in East End live and how they go about their daily chores.Even if not everything in the book is considered trustworthy the stories tell us a lot of the persistence of social inequality in Britain. The atmosphere is vividly described and all that happens in the book seems genuine.Besides the stories of different people there are statistics, all showing the misery the working class lived in during the first years of the twentieth century.All together the book is absolutely worth reading, especially if you are interested in the history of England.
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Detalles
- Librería
- Singularity Rare & Fine
(US)
- Inventario del vendedor #
- 000029
- Título
- People of the Abyss
- Autor
- London, Jack
- Ilustrador
- [photographs]
- Formato/Encuadernación
- Cloth
- Estado del libro
- Usado - Bueno
- Cantidad disponible
- 1
- Edición
- First Edition
- Encuadernación
- Tapa dura
- Editorial
- The MacMillan Company
- Lugar de publicación
- New York
- Fecha de publicación
- 1903
- Páginas
- 319
- Tamaño
- 8vo - over 7¾" - 9&f
- Palabras clave
- Adventurers & Explorers, Classics, Edwardian (1901-1913), General, Social History
- Catálogos del vendedor
- Classics of Fiction From All Eras; History / Government / Political / Societal;
Términos de venta
Singularity Rare & Fine
Books shipped when payment received by Biblio or by Singularity Rare & Fine. SR&F Reserves the right to delay shipping until checks have cleared. Returns accepted up to two weeks from date of sale, full refund of purchase price if received in the same condition. Domestic (U.S.) original shipping cost will also be refunded; original international shipping cost will not.
Sobre el vendedor
Singularity Rare & Fine
Miembro de Biblio desde 2005
Baldwinsville, New York
Sobre Singularity Rare & Fine
Rare and unique finds of all descriptions; it's the uniqueness, beauty or inherent fascination of the piece which places it here at singularity rare & fine.
Glosario
Algunos términos que podrían usarse en esta descripción incluyen:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Top Edge Gilt
- Top edge gilt refers to the practice of applying gold or a gold-like finish to the top of the text block (the edges the pages...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- Poor
- A book with significant wear and faults. A poor condition book is still a reading copy with the full text still readable. Any...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
