Sunday, February 05, 2006

 

Belle De Jour

Among my finds at the British Library this week was a 1770 guide to London con-men, published "for those newly arrived from the countryside." Among its more curious claims: "Pimps. These are the most despicable wretches, generally composed of French cooks, barbers, and valets."

Hmm. I'm still trying to figure out how exactly this second career for French cooks came about...



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?