At the height of his career, around the time he was working on Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens wrote a series of sketches, mostly set in London, which he collected as The Uncommercial Traveller. In the persona of 'the Uncommercial', Dickens wanders the city streets and brings London, its inhabitants, commerce and entertainment vividly to life. Sometimes autobiographical, as childhood experiences are interwoven with adult memories, the sketches include visits to the Paris Morgue, the Liverpool docks, a workhouse, a school for poor children, and the theatre. They also describe the perils of travel, including seasickness, shipwreck, the coming of the railways, and the wretchedness of dining in English hotels and restaurants. The work is quintessential Dickens, with each piece showcasing his imaginative writing style, his keen observational powers, and his characteristic wit. In this edition Daniel Tyler explores Dickens's fascination with the city and the book's connections with concerns evident in his fiction: social injustice, human mortality, a fascination with death and the passing of time. Often funny, sometimes indignant, always exuberant, The Uncommercial Traveller is a revelatory encounter with Dickens, and the Victorian city he knew so well.

About the Author
Daniel Tyler has researched Dickens's creative processes through the manuscript drafts of his fiction. He is the author of A Guide to Dickens's London (Hesperus, 2012), and editor of Dickens's Style (CUP, 2013). He is a frequent reviewer for the TLS.

Reviews
... .there is plenty here and fans will enjoy spotting his nascent characters and books in these sketches. * The Times *
Tyler's introduction is substantial, thorough and stimulating. * Dickens Quarterly *
beautiful volume * The National *
fascinating * Methodist Recorder *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199686650
Author Charles Dickens
Format Hardback
Page Count 440
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 548g
Dimensions(mm) 202mm * 135mm * 30mm