MERCANTILE MANCHESTER was first published in 1896. The first three chapters deal with the growth of Manchester's commercial activities up to the middle of the nineteenth century. The remaining chapters detail the events of the second half of the nineteenth century, such as the impact of the new railway system; the building of the Town Hall and the development of the Cotton Exchange. The author takes the reader on a walk through Manchester and describes its principal features as they existed in the 1890s. It provides a vivid picture of how Manchester operated when the Lancashire cotton industry was reaching its zenith. This edition is newly type-set but retains the same language (and spelling) of the original. A map of central Manchester c1890 has been added to help readers identify some of the streets that John Mortimer described. He should not be confused with the twentieth century author and barrister; John Mortimer was born in Manchester in 1839 and died in 1912.