Street Markets of London

Today we look at the Street Markets of London by Mary Benedetta with photographs by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy.
This book takes the form of a sociological description of London street markets accompanied by 64 black and white photographs and a foreword by Bauhaus artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. A Hungarian, Moholy-Nagy spent five years at the Bauhaus having been appointed a master by Walter Gropius. The book was published in 1936, just one year before the commencement of Mass Observation in 1937, and during a time when there was great interest in learning about the anthropology of working class communities. Among the locations featured are Petticoat Lane, Farringdon Street, Caledonian Market, Brixton, Covent Garden, Berwick Market, Shepherd's Bush, Brick Lane, Billingsgate and Commercial Road.
The Library's Special Collections include a number of rare or valuable titles, some dating back to the sixteenth century. These titles are mostly held in the Mackintosh Library. Because of the value of these items, special access arrangement are in place, with viewing strictly by appointment only with our Academic Liaison Librarians.