The Canker at The Heart; Being Studies from The Life of The Poor in the Year of Grace 1905

London: E. Grant Richards, 1905. First Edition. Octavo. 20cm. Publisher's royal blue cloth titled in gilt to spine and front board. 235pp. Light scuffing to corners and a little bumping to spine ends, some minor soiling to rear board; internally clean, nurses home library stamp to title page, edges untrimmed with some ragged edges to a few leaves towards the centre of the volume caused by careless opening of uncut pages, the rear flyleaf has the top third torn off, which is unfortunate but not structural. A very good, clean copy with some careless handling.

L.C. Cornford was in the main a journalist and short story writer, primarily known for (truncated) his swashbuckling pirate stories. This collection, directly gleaned from Cornford's journalistic exploits, is an examination of the London poor and working classes encompassing, quite dispassionately, such subjects as the necessity of women in work and the disastrous effect that has upon children, the perils and benefits of socialism, living conditions, the work houses and the infirmaries and the generally bitter and dismal lot of those who work all week for a pittance when they can, and starve in squalor when they can't. (Inventory #: 84638)