Life in London, or, The day and night scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq. and his elegant friend, Corinthian Tom, accompanied by Bob Logic, the Oxonian…

Pierce Egan’s Life in London began in July 1821 as a monthly publication. It followed the high and low adventures of three young men about town: Tom, Jerry, and Logic. The series was an instant success and inspired a number of theatrical versions (and yes, the animated cat and mouse take their names from Egan’s characters). The dazzling illustrations, by artist brothers Isaac and George Cruikshank, were central to the work’s popularity. George Cruikshank would become one of the century’s most successful commercial artists, illustrating some of Charles Dickens’s early writings, including Oliver Twist.