Thomas Holmes (1846–1918) was a police-court missionary, criminologist and radical philanthropist. In 1905 he became secretary to the Howard Association for the reform of prisons and criminal law. His efforts afforded great change in the prison system, seeking to reform prisoners by providing honest work and education. A dynamic individual, his sympathy with the margins of society are reflected in his publications, such as 'Pictures and Problems from London Police Courts' (1900) and 'Psychology and Crime' (1912).Iain Sinclair is a novelist, essayist, filmmaker and journalist. Among his many successful publications are' London Orbital' (2003) and 'Dining on Stones' (2005).

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• List of Illustrations; Introduction by Iain Sinclair; Preface; My Friends and Acquaintances; London's Underworld; The Nomads; Lodging-Houses; Furnished Apartments; The Disabled; Women in the Underworld; Marriage in the Underworld; Brains in the Underworld; Play in the Underworld; On the Verge of the Underworld; In Prisons OFT; Unemployed and Unemployable; Suggestions