"The Night Side of London" is a memoir of author J. Ewing Ritchie on his experiences living in the city of London in 1858. He examines the complexities of living in London and pulls up the skirts on the night life of London. As he reflects on London's position as the most populous city of the time, the different elements of London society from unemployment, the poor working conditions of laborers, the wealth gap and prevalent vices in the city all cause him to question London's moral fabric.