Anderson, Patricia. When passion reigned: sex and the Victorians. New York, Basic Books: 1995.
Informative survey of sexual customs in Victorian England. A real stereotype buster. The Victorians did enjoy sex, they even talked about it. They just did it in a different way. Decent index, but this one is better read through than dipped into.
Latimer, Dean and Goldberg, Jeff. Flowers in the blood: the story of opium. New York, Franklin Watts: 1981.
History of opium and an explanation of its effects. Since this book covers the whole history of the drug, not all of it deals with our period. Good table of contents and it's possible to read just the Victorian chapters. Well written and lots of period details that are useful for gigs or character building. Even if you didn't take the drug regularly, you would know of it, and it occupied a place in society similar to aspirin today.
Mayhew, Henry. London labour and the London poor. In Four Volumes. New York, Dover Publications: 1968
An exhaustive survey of the lower classes in London in the late Victorian period. Includes interviews with representatives of each class and occupation, and descriptions of how the people who occupied them lived and worked. Very detailed, and not only gives the information, also a good reference for the language of the time. Table of contents allows browsing and makes it easy to find the exact information you need. Not necessary to read through, this is a great book to dip into. Originally published in 1861-62.
Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen ate and Charles Dickens knew: from fox-hunting to whist- the facts of daily life in 19th century England. New York, Touchstone: 1993.
What the title says. Arranged as a series of short pieces on different aspects of Victorian life. Easy to dip into to get the information you need, as each piece is self contained. Has currency lists, manners, and all sorts of useful information that would have been second nature to a person of the time, explained for the 20th century reader.
Thomson, John. Victorian London street life in historic photographs. New York, Dover Publications: 1994.
Originally published in 1877. Illustrated descriptions of various street occupations in London. This is how our London would have looked.
Winter, Janet and Schultz, Carolyn. Victorian costuming volume I: 1840 to 1865. Oakland, Other Times Publications: 1980.
Costuming book written by a former costume mistress at Dickens. How to alter modern clothes and patterns, simple period patterns. Covers all the layers of clothing, how and why they were worn. Short section on manners and customs as they relate to clothing.
Tux rental places sell their old clothing. Best time to get it is August or so, before the boothies buy it up to sell at Dickens.
West Bay Opera Costume Shop
221 Lambert Avenue, Palo Alto
http://www.wbopera.org/costumes.html
Never been here. But opera companies are great places to buy cast-off costumes that either will pass costume approval, or can be altered to. There are several in the Bay Area.
Lacis
3163 Adeline, Berkeley. Across from Ashby BART.
http://www.lacis.com/
Lace and lacemaking supplies, vintage clothing. Corset making supplies. Large selection of costume books and period patterns.
Civil War sutlers have ready made costume pieces, as well as patterns, fabrics, and books. They generally aren't cheap, but sometimes you can get a deal if you keep hitting their websites. They deal with the US, not England, but the differences are pretty minor. There are lots of these guys, I have included a selection below, and they aren't all limited to the Civil War period. Google sutlers to get more. If you come across a deal, let people know--we might not have seen it.
Smoke and Fire Co.
http://www.smoke-fire.com/
The Blockade Runner
http://www.blockaderunner.com/
Jas Townsend
http://www.jastown.com/newhome.htm
18th century sutler, but carries reproduction British coinage as well as other useful stuff.
Mercury Supply Company Sutler
http://www.mercurysutler.com/
The Costumer's Manifesto: Victorian Links
http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/victlinks.htm
Dictionary of Victorian London
http://www.victorianlondon.org/
Prostitution in the Victorian Era
http://www.worc.ac.uk/victorian/Prostitution/prostitution.html