London: Ward, Lock, no date (1901). Dark green pictorial cloth stamped in black and white, spine gilt lettered. pp (2), x, (260). Spine gilt a mite dulled, with quite minor rubbing to spine ends; a little rubbing to the delicate white stamping in upper inner corner of front cover; small engraved name label of E.D. Manchee inside front cover; endpapers tanned from binding materials; rear endpapers browned from something once laid in; light foxing to title page; else a VG+ copy. A collection of 10 fictionalized stories about the lower classes, the criminal underworld, and corrupt officials in New York City. Includes a six page Introduction in which the authors point out that the differences between the underclasses and the upper classes are more a matter of circumstances than psychology. Williard (1869-1907), a nephew of Francis E. Willard, was an American amateur sociologist and writer. Gaining years of personal experience as a vagrant, he published TRAMPING WITH TRAMPS in 1899, thereby becoming America's leading authority on the subject. Afterwards, he became one of the lowest of the low, a railroad "bull", persecuting his former mates. Jack London facetiously dedicated his own hobo book THE ROAD to him. Williard succumbed to alcoholism at age 37. Willard and Hodder published a series of articles in McClure's magazine in 1900 under the title of "True Stories from the Under-World", which were one of the earliest examples of "muckraking" journalism and were the basis of the present book. A nice copy of an uncommon and interesting book which was reprinted in The Making of the Modern Law series. ; Octavo