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SOCIAL HISTORY
Duckworth, 400 pages, £20
Vagabonds is a fascinating account of the lives of the poorest Londoners in the 19th century. Inspired by the seven ages of man, Oskar Jensen focuses each chapter on “a significant life stage”: ‘The Infant’, ‘The Boy’, ‘The Girl’, ‘The Immigrant’ (new arrivals), ‘The Pro’ (professional street sellers), ‘The Renegade’ (the persecuted) and ‘The Elder’. Using a kaleidoscopic approach and a variety of sources, Jensen shines a light on the life of one individual as a way of representing a great many others, providing an opportunity to hear the voices of those for whom life was a daily struggle, who were rarely educated, valued or heard.
The chapter on infants, for…