The People of the Abyss

'The People of the Abyss' is Jack London's first-hand account of his experiences in the poverty-stricken East End of London in 1902, including the notorious Whitechapel district (where the Jack the Ripper murders had taken place a decade previously). As a piece of investigative journalism London's book is first rate, and later inspired George Orwell to write 'The Road to Wigan Pier' and 'Down and Out in Paris and London'.