Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People (usually known as Sketches by Boz) is a collection of short pieces written by Charles Dickens. The book was published in 1836. The first edition was illustrated by George Cruikshank.

Publications
The first edition of Sketches by Boz was published by John Macrone in two series. The first series was a two-volume set which was published in February 1836. This was just a month before the publication of the first parts of The Pickwick Papers (1836-37). The "Second Series" was published in August 1836. After Dickens became famous, he could buy out his agreements with Macrone. Macrone died unexpectedly at 28. Dickens helped to publish a book called The Pic-Nic Papers to help Macrone's widow and children.

Contents of the installments
Most of the fifty-six sketches that appear in the 1839 edition were originally published individually in various newspapers and periodicals. These included The Morning Chronicle, The Evening Chronicle, The Monthly Magazine, The Carlton Chronicle and Bell's Life in London, from 1833 to 1836:
"Mr. Minns and his Cousin" (SB 46), originally, "A Dinner at Poplar Walk" in The Monthly Magazine, 1 December 1833.
"Mrs. Joseph Porter, Over the Way" (SB 53), originally in The Monthly Magazine, January, 1834.
"Horatio Sparkins" ( SB 49), originally in The Monthly Magazine, February, 1834.
"The Bloomsbury Christening" (SB 55), originally in The Monthly Magazine, April, 1834.
"The Boarding-House" (SB 45), originally in The Monthly Magazine, May & August, 1834.
"Sentiment" (SB 47), originally in Bell's Weekly Magazine, 7 June 1834.
"The Steam Excursion" (SB 51), originally in The Monthly Magazine, October 1834.
"A Passage in the Life of Mr. Watkins Tottle" (SB 54), originally "Chapter the First" and "Chapter the Second" in two numbers of The Monthly Magazine, January and February, 1835.
"The Four Sisters" (SB 3), Our Parish 3, originally, "Sketches of London No. 14" in The Evening Chronicle, 18 June 1835.
"The Election for Beadle" (SB 4), Our Parish 4, originally, "Sketches of London No. 16" in The Evening Chronicle, 14 July 1835.
"The Broker's Man" (SB 5), Our Parish 5, originally, "Sketches of London No. 18" in The Evening Chronicle, 28 July 1835.
"The Ladies' Societies" (SB 6), Our Parish 6, originally, "Sketches of London No. 20" in The Evening Chronicle, 28 July 1835.
"Miss Evans and the Eagle" (SB 36), (Scenes and Characters No. 2) originally in Bell's Life in London, 4 October 1835.
"The Dancing Academy" (SB 41), originally, "Scenes and Characters, No. 3" in Bell's Life in London, 11 October 1835.
"Making a Night of It" (SB 43), originally, "Scenes and Characters No. 4" in Bell's Life in London, 18 October 1835.
"The Misplaced Attachment of Mr. John Dounce" (SB 39), originally, "Scenes and Characters No. 5. Love and Oysters," in Bell's Life in London, 25 October 1835.
"Some Account of an Omnibus Cad" originally, "Scenes and Characters No. 6," later retitled and expanded into "The Last Cab-driver and the First Omnibus Cab"; in Bell's Life in London, 1 November 1835.
"The Mistaken Milliner. A Tale of Ambition" (SB 40) originally "Scenes and Characters No. 7. The Vocal Dressmaker," in Bell's Life in London, 22 November 1835.
"The New Year" (SB 35), originally in Bell's Life in London, 3 January 1836.
"The Great Winglebury Duel" (SB 52), originally in the First Series of Sketches by Boz, 8 February 1836.
"The Black Veil" (SB 50) originally in the First Series of Sketches by Boz, 8 February 1836.
"Our Next-Door Neighbour" (Our Parish 7), originally, "Our Next-Door Neighbours" in The Morning Chronicle, 18 March 1836.
"The Tuggses at Ramsgate" (Tales 4), originally in The Library of Fiction No. 1, 31 March 1836 (accompanied by two Robert Seymour woodcuts).
"The Hospital Patient" (SB 38), Characters 6, originally in The Carlton Chronicle, 6 August 1836.
"The Drunkard's Death" (SB 56), originally in the Second Series of Sketches by Boz, 17 December 1836.

Book Contents
The contents of Sketches by Boz are:
Our parish
The Beadle. The Parish Engine. The Schoolmaster.
The Curate. The Old Lady. The Half-pay Captain
The Four Sisters
The Election for Beadle
The Broker's Man
The Ladies' Societies
Our Next-door Neighbour
Scenes
The Streets - morning
The Streets - night
Shops and their Tenants
Scotland Yard
Seven Dials
Meditations in Monmouth-Street
Hackney-coach Stands
Doctors' Commons
London Recreations
The River
Astley's
Greenwich Fair
Private Theatres
Vauxhall Gardens by Day
Early Coaches
Omnibuses
The Last Cab-driver, and the First Omnibus cad
A Parliamentary Sketch
Public Dinners
The First of May
Brokers' and Marine-store Shops
Gin-shops
The Pawnbroker's Shop
Criminal Courts
A Visit to Newgate
Thoughts about People
A Christmas Dinner
The New Year
Miss Evans and the Eagle
The Parlour Orator
The Hospital Patient
The Misplaced attachment of Mr. John Dounce
The Mistaken Milliner. A Tale of Ambition
The Dancing Academy
Shabby-Genteel People
Making a Night of It
The Prisoners' Van
Tales
The Boarding-house
Chapter the first
Chapter the second
Mr. Minns and his Cousin
Sentiment
The Tuggses at Ramsgate
Horatio Sparkins
The Black Veil
The Steam Excursion
The Great Winglebury Duel
Mrs. Joseph Porter
A Passage in the Life of Mr. Watkins Tottle
Chapter the first
Chapter the second
The Bloomsbury Christening
The Drunkard's death

References

Other websites
Online editions

Sketches by Boz at Internet Archive.
Sketches by Boz  - Easy to read HTML
Sketches by Boz  - Large Print HTML

Books by Charles Dickens
Fiction books