Travels in Town

Detailed, wide-ranging, and reflective, James Grant's two-volume Travels in Town (1839) describes life in early Victorian London.

James Grant was an influential early Victorian journalist and newspaper editor. This two-volume work from 1839 is a companion piece to his two 1838 books. It reflects upon places, events, and people, mixing general observations and intricate detail. Volume 2 describes the post office, the book trade and religion.Born in 1802 in Elgin, James Grant first established himself as a reporter and then as a leading newspaper editor in Victorian London, heading the Morning Chronicle for two decades before moving on to the Christian Standard. His 1839 Travels in Town was designed as a companion piece to his earlier reflections on London, The Great Metropolis (1838) and Sketches in London (1838). This two-volume work reflects Grant's enthusiasm for 'this modern Babylon' and his lively interest in the intricacies of everyday life there. Interweaving general descriptions with specific local information, Volume 2 describes the post office and bookselling in Paternoster Row before turning its attention to the city's various religious denominations. Grant, an ardent Calvinist, concludes with reflections on London's moral state.