Octavo very worn decorated cloth gilt (cloth slightly bubbled but hinges untorn, book block tight and well attached to covers) 160pp lacks front free endpaper, pastedown with prize inscription to William Cook dated 1888 who has copied inscription to back of frontis. Contents tight but foxing to first few and last page, some other signs of use but no tears and no pages loose. *Tearful story of young lad set to begging by his cruel "mother" and when he has an accident thus losing his leg his "mother" remarks that crutches will mean he will make more money begging than before. There is much about London poverty, moonlight flits, drunkeness, robbery but in the end Phil's real mother reclaims him after confessing her sins, and there is a final reconciliation at the end.