Sketches by Boz

***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

## Other websites

**Online editions**

- _Sketches by Boz_ at Internet Archive.
- _Sketches by Boz_  - Easy to read HTML
- _Sketches by Boz_  - Large Print HTML

## Infobox (book)

- **name**: Sketches by Boz
- **title orig**: Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People
- **image**: SketchesbyBoz front.jpg
- **image caption**: Frontispiece of the first edition, February 1836. Illustration by George Cruikshank
- **author**: Charles Dickens ("Boz")
- **illustrator**: George Cruikshank
- **cover artist**: George Cruikshank
- **country**: England
- **language**: English language, English
- **series**: 20 Monthly parts:
November 1837 - June 1839
- **subject**: Social criticism
- **genre**: Fiction
Nonfiction
Short story collection
- **publisher**: John Macrone; St. James's Square
- **pub date**: Novel:1836 (in two volumes)
- **followed by**: The Pickwick Papers