London Labour and the London Poor, Volume 1
Mayhew, Henry
1861
Of the Street-Sale of Memorandum- Books and almanacks.
THE memorandum-books in demand in street- sale are used for weekly "rent-books." The payment of the rent is entered by the landlord, and the production of of these books, showing a punctuality of payment, perhaps for years, is of the best "references" that can be given by any in search of a new lodging. They are bought also for the entrance of orders, and then of prices, in the trade at chandler's shops, &c., where weekly or monthly accounts are run. All, or nearly all, the streetsta- tioners sell memorandum-books, and in addition to them, there may be, I am told, sometimes as many as poor persons, including women and children, who sell memorandum-books with other trifling articles, not necessarily stationery, but such things as stay-laces or tapes. If a man sell memorandum-books alone it is because his means limit him to that stock, he being at the time, what I heard a patterer describe as, a "dry-bread cove." The price is the dozen, or (with almanacks pasted inside the cover), and to the dozen. No more than is obtained in the streets for any kind of memorandum-books. | |
The almanack street trade, I heard on all hands, had become a mere nothing. "What else can you expect, sir," said street-seller, "when so many publicans sends almanacks round, or gives them away to their customers; and when the slop tailors' shilling-a-day men thrust into people's hands at every corner? It was a capital trade once, before the duty was taken off—capital! The duty wasn't in our way so much as in the shop-keepers', though did a good deal on the sly in unstamped almanacks. Why of a night in October I've many a time cleared and more by selling in the public-houses almanacks at and a-piece (they cost me and a dozen at that time). Anything that way, when Government's done, has a ready sale; people enjoys it; and I suppose no man, as ever was, thinks it much harm to do a tax-gatherer! I don't pay the income-tax myself (laughing). evening I sold, just by Blackfriars-bridge, dozen of diamond almanacks to fit into hatcrowns. I was liable, in course, and ran a risk. I sold them mostly at a piece, but sometimes got for . I cleared between and The 'diamonds' cost me a dozen." | |
The street almanack trade is now carried on by the same parties as I have specified in my account of memorandum-books. Those sold are of any cheap kind, costing wholesale a dozen, but they are almost always announced as "Moore's." | |