''The London Spy'' by Ned Ward (1660/1667 – June 20, 1731) was a periodical about London life, later published as a book.

First person

Ward first published the story as a series of 16-page periodicals in 1698–1700, comprising 18 folio editions. They were printed as a collection in book form in 1703 by J. How of Gracechurch Street, London, a mile from where Ward had his public house. The parts are arranged topographically, the story being told in the first person by the author under the persona of "The London Spy". It concerns his adventures as an ostensibly innocent country gentleman visiting London, his native-Londoner chaperone-cum-guide, and the adventures that befall them. They travel about London, visiting inns and tourist attractions and meeting the people who live there. The work depicts vividly the lower classes of the day and how they made ends meet – including

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

and other felonies. It is a ribald story, written in part in prose and containing many slang expressions of the time.

References

''The London Spy'' by Ned Ward, ed. Kenneth Fenwick (1955), The Folio Society: London 1703 books Social history of London Publications established in the 1690s Publications disestablished in 1700 {{crime-book-stub