Reading in Public: London, 1910

I'm adding this image to my long-neglected Reading In Public index, even though these people aren't reading. But they undoubtedly began to read shortly after this image was taken, maybe even while walking home. I love the controlled chaos of this scene, as the customers are literally walking on the books that they're about to buy - and even the proprietor can't resist perusing one of his own books. The photograph (of the Caledonian Road market, in 1910) is part of a wonderful post at Spitalfields Life which presents a collection of old photos of London street markets.