The Uncommercial Traveller
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- Author：Charles Dickens
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Summary
'And O， Angelica， what has become of you， this present Sunday morning when I can't attend to the sermon; and， more difficult question than that， what has become of Me as I was when I sat by your side？'
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。
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。
Reviews
Jon Blanchard
，
I thought once that Dickens’ plots are so corny with all that melodrama， sentimentality and coincidences and his descriptions so vivid that it might be worth reading his no-fictional work， of which two collections are in this book。 However I was wrong。 Being a journalist， Dickens misses out on the element of the fantastic that makes his fiction more vivid than mere realism could possible be。 There are some nice vignettes of Victorian life， but none have the excitement and character of his fictio I thought once that Dickens’ plots are so corny with all that melodrama， sentimentality and coincidences and his descriptions so vivid that it might be worth reading his no-fictional work， of which two collections are in this book。 However I was wrong。 Being a journalist， Dickens misses out on the element of the fantastic that makes his fiction more vivid than mere realism could possible be。 There are some nice vignettes of Victorian life， but none have the excitement and character of his fictional scenes。 Two pieces struck me。 After getting through 700 pages the final piece， George Silverman’s Explanation， is a short story on familiar Dickens themes， the oppressed innocent child and the adult subject to what we would now call gaslighting。 The chief gaslighter is the only character in the whole collection who comes anywhere near Dickens’ unforgettable grotesques， complete with a unique verbal tic。 The other piece is called The Noble Savage。 This is a condemnation of English sentimentality regarding indigenous people。 Dickens does not condemn the English as patronising。 Rather he lumps all indigenous people together as “savages” and roundly states the only thing is if they become civilized。 It is worth remembering this particularly unpleasant racism when Dickens gets on his moral high horse。 。。。more
Gilbert
，
Rather dull
Richard Clay
，
A compilation of magazine articles from the last decade or so of Dickens' life。 Some magnificent descriptions of the London of its day - in all its horror; there's no way the 1860s could ever be described as 'swinging。' Some of the material here is too much 'of its time' to be easily penetrable to any but the hardcore Victorian specialist but there's still plenty of interest。 Okay， it's one to try if you've read MOST other Dickens， but it's still good。 A compilation of magazine articles from the last decade or so of Dickens' life。 Some magnificent descriptions of the London of its day - in all its horror; there's no way the 1860s could ever be described as 'swinging。' Some of the material here is too much 'of its time' to be easily penetrable to any but the hardcore Victorian specialist but there's still plenty of interest。 Okay， it's one to try if you've read MOST other Dickens， but it's still good。 。。。more
Kate
，
"Reprinted Pieces" was the better of two uninspiring volumes， because it included some fiction。 The non-fiction was， for the most part， dull and/or overwrought。 "Reprinted Pieces" was the better of two uninspiring volumes， because it included some fiction。 The non-fiction was， for the most part， dull and/or overwrought。 。。。more
James
，
A rather odd eclectic set of short stories based on a travellers experience。 Based in Dickens' other novels， I expected a lot more from this。 In many parts rather disjointed。 Some works though， very vivid。 His description of the Lead Mills， rather similar to stories by H G Wells， such as 'The Vone' and 'Lord of the Dynamo's'。 This would be a very good book as a way of introduction to themes， trends and ideas in his other major works such as Little Dorrit and Ncholas Nickelby。 Very nice to hear f A rather odd eclectic set of short stories based on a travellers experience。 Based in Dickens' other novels， I expected a lot more from this。 In many parts rather disjointed。 Some works though， very vivid。 His description of the Lead Mills， rather similar to stories by H G Wells， such as 'The Vone' and 'Lord of the Dynamo's'。 This would be a very good book as a way of introduction to themes， trends and ideas in his other major works such as Little Dorrit and Ncholas Nickelby。 Very nice to hear further reference to the Temperance Movement。 In part， I feel he tried to do a philosophical satire if what it means to be British， but， unlike George Orwell （England this England） and Bill Bryson （Notes from a small island） he doesn't achieve what he sets out to do。 。。。more
Katie Lumsden
，
I don't think Dickens's non-fiction ages as well as his fiction。 I enjoyed this， but a lot if it went over my head and wasn't completely engaging。 I don't think Dickens's non-fiction ages as well as his fiction。 I enjoyed this， but a lot if it went over my head and wasn't completely engaging。 。。。more
Sean Arena
，
Allow me to preface this by saying Dickens is one of my favorite authors; Hard Times and Great Expectations are two of my favorite novels。 But this may actually be the most boring book I've ever read。 Not only did I not care， but I also didn't care。 Dickens' over-descriptive style is actually self defeating in this rare instance， though it shines through in certain chapters like The Shipwreck and The Short-timers。 So， before you check this one off your list， be forewarned， it will be a slow， dry Allow me to preface this by saying Dickens is one of my favorite authors; Hard Times and Great Expectations are two of my favorite novels。 But this may actually be the most boring book I've ever read。 Not only did I not care， but I also didn't care。 Dickens' over-descriptive style is actually self defeating in this rare instance， though it shines through in certain chapters like The Shipwreck and The Short-timers。 So， before you check this one off your list， be forewarned， it will be a slow， dry journey。 。。。more
M。 Walker
，
Something of a slog。 Journalism doesn't always age well， even when it's by one of the greats。 Many of the stories in the Reprinted Pieces are a treat， though。 If I really include the "date started" to "date finished" range I think it would be more than a decade。 Something of a slog。 Journalism doesn't always age well， even when it's by one of the greats。 Many of the stories in the Reprinted Pieces are a treat， though。 If I really include the "date started" to "date finished" range I think it would be more than a decade。 。。。more
H。Friedmann
，
At last at last！ This was a bit of a slog， and I'm glad to be done。 Warning to other readers - do not read Dickens' short stories and essays in compilation form。 Choose one at a time， read and enjoy， maybe use them for study。 But 700+ pages in a row。。。。don't do it to yourself。 To be sure the stories and essays contained within the Uncommercial Traveller and Repriting Pieces are explorations of the Victorian World that can still be seen as relevant today， or provide insight into his novels。 They At last at last！ This was a bit of a slog， and I'm glad to be done。 Warning to other readers - do not read Dickens' short stories and essays in compilation form。 Choose one at a time， read and enjoy， maybe use them for study。 But 700+ pages in a row。。。。don't do it to yourself。 To be sure the stories and essays contained within the Uncommercial Traveller and Repriting Pieces are explorations of the Victorian World that can still be seen as relevant today， or provide insight into his novels。 They should not be shoved lightly aside， but they should be taken in small doses for greater appreciation。 。。。more
Tom
，
Another grand work of Dickens's。 This time a collection of separately published pieces formed as part of his own journal "All the Year Round"。 The character of the Uncommercial Traveller takes readers along a journey from Great Britain， through Europe and to America。 As ever， the tone is delicately brightened by Dickens's humorous approach though there are some truly poignant moments when we are taken on a tour of the Workhouses， the docks of both Liverpool and London and those people struggling Another grand work of Dickens's。 This time a collection of separately published pieces formed as part of his own journal "All the Year Round"。 The character of the Uncommercial Traveller takes readers along a journey from Great Britain， through Europe and to America。 As ever， the tone is delicately brightened by Dickens's humorous approach though there are some truly poignant moments when we are taken on a tour of the Workhouses， the docks of both Liverpool and London and those people struggling to make ends meet in the darkness of the mid 19th century。A collection well worth reading with a consistent quality throughout the vast majority of these diverse snippets of Victorian life。 。。。more
Heather
，
The 37 pieces in this book were written in the 1860s， published in a weekly magazine/journal that Dickens ran， and later collected and printed in book form。 They range fairly widely in theme and tone， but as Daniel Tyler argues in his introduction to the edition I read， they can be seen to make up "a volume-length consideration of how far （and to whom） sympathy can be extended" （xix）。 （In one essay I liked a lot， Dickens visits a boat about to depart England with hundreds of emigrating Mormons o The 37 pieces in this book were written in the 1860s， published in a weekly magazine/journal that Dickens ran， and later collected and printed in book form。 They range fairly widely in theme and tone， but as Daniel Tyler argues in his introduction to the edition I read， they can be seen to make up "a volume-length consideration of how far （and to whom） sympathy can be extended" （xix）。 （In one essay I liked a lot， Dickens visits a boat about to depart England with hundreds of emigrating Mormons on board: he clearly isn't expecting to be particularly charmed by them， but clearly is。） Some pieces were moving， some interesting， some funny， others kind of a slog—I wonder if I might have liked this more if I'd taken breaks from it， but it was a library book， so I didn't。 Not surprisingly， I really liked the essays/parts of essays featuring descriptive passages about London， like this， from "Wapping Workhouse":Pleasantly wallowing in the abundant mud of that thoroughfare， and greatly enjoying the huge piles of building belonging to the sugar refiners， the little masts and vanes in small back gardens in back streets， the neighbouring canals and docks， the India-vans lumbering along their stone tramway， and the pawnbrokers' shops where hard-up Mates had pawned so many sextants and quadrants， that I should have bought a few cheap if I had the least notion how to use them， I at last began to file off to the right， towards Wapping。 （19） Or this， from "City of London Churches":Whether I think of the church where the sails of the oyster-boats in the river almost flapped against the windows， or of the church where the railroad made the bells hum as the train rushed by above the roof， I recal a curious experience。 （92） Other high points included a really good outraged essay about the poor treatment of soldiers （"The Great Tasmania's Cargo"）， a piece about being very seasick crossing to Calais （"The Calais Night Mail"）， a piece about stories remembered from childhood， including stories that were terrifying at the time （"Nurse's Stories"）， and a piece about walking in normally busy parts of London that become quiet on summer weekends （"The City of the Absent"）。 。。。more
Russell Bittner
，
For Dickens—the social engineer—perhaps no essay in this collection comes closer to illustrating his compassion for， and personal （because once lived） understanding of， the plight of the child-pauper than XXI “The Short Timers” （pp。 205-215）。 It’s a truth as timeless as any I know， and I heard a modern-day rendition of it just the other day from a woman who leads children’s tours in the Discovery Garden of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden。 Those who start out with the least in life are generally the For Dickens—the social engineer—perhaps no essay in this collection comes closer to illustrating his compassion for， and personal （because once lived） understanding of， the plight of the child-pauper than XXI “The Short Timers” （pp。 205-215）。 It’s a truth as timeless as any I know， and I heard a modern-day rendition of it just the other day from a woman who leads children’s tours in the Discovery Garden of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden。 Those who start out with the least in life are generally the most grateful and reverential when a gift， however modest， falls into their hands。For the joys of traveling， lodging and dining in the England of Dickens’s time， “Refreshments for Travellers” （pp。 52 – 60） is， itself， a joy to read。tTo get a sense of the immense “rewards” reaped by British soldiers fighting colonialist battles abroad， read “The Great Tasmania’s Cargo” （pp。 74 – 82）。tThomas Wolfe once wrote a novel titled You Can’t Go Home Again。 Although it’s just one chapter in The Uncommercial Traveller， “Dullborough Town” （pp。 116 – 125） comes closest to Wolfe’s opus—or at least to my memory of a book I read over forty years ago。tRarely would I cite a footnote in a review such as this one。 That said， this particular footnote （I feel） bears citation。 In the essay titled “Chambers” in which Dickens sheds some “ghostly” light on one of his first jobs， we get an even keener sense of Dickens’s rather acerbic sense of humor in reading an end-of-text footnote （on p。 376） in explanation of the use of Dickens’s “Resurrection Man”: “a ‘resurrection man’ is a body snatcher， or a person who illegally exhumes bodies in order to sell them to anatomists （OED）。 Dickens once gave out a calling card with ‘Charles Dickens: Resurrectionist – in search of a subject’ on it， as if to suggest， in a grimly humorous way， a parallel with his vocation as a writer。”tFor a typically Dickensian （i。e。， exquisitely written; moving; humane） non-fiction story， I recommend Chapter XVII （“The Italian Prisoner”）， pp。 168 – 177。tIf you’re accustomed to thinking of London as a regal metropolis， Dickens takes another （and much dimmer） view of the city。 In XXV （“The Boiled Beef of New England”）， pp。 245-253， we read the following: “（t）he shabbiness of our English capital， as compared with Paris， Bordeaux， Frankfort， Milan， Geneva—almost any important town on the continent of Europe—I find very striking after an absence of any duration in foreign parts。 London is shabby in contrast with New York， with Boston， with Philadelphia。 In detail， I would say it can rarely fail to be a disappointing piece of shabbiness， to a stranger from any of those places。 There is nothing shabbier than Drury-lane， in Rome itself。 The meanness of Regent-street， set against the great line of Boulevarts （sic！） in Paris， is as striking as the abortive ugliness of Trafalgar-square， set against the gallant beauty of the Place de la Concorde。 London is shabby by daylight， and shabbier by gaslight。 No Englishman knows what gaslight is， until he sees the Rue de Rivoli and the Palais Royal after dark。”tNote: I suspect—much like English cuisine these days—that Dickens’s view of London in this passage is at least as dated as his use of the word “boulevart” for “boulevard。” Both the cuisine and the city itself have come a long way in the last 147 years。 And as regards his comment about New York （I can’t speak with any kind of real authority about either Boston or Philadelphia， inasmuch as I don’t know the seedier parts of those two cities）， I think he should’ve looked a bit more critically behind the curtain。tAdditional note: the rest of this same essay is an excellent illustration of Dickens’s unquestioned respect for the English working class， even if his “respect” for the class of which he is unquestionably a part is rather less than enthusiastic。 Dickens—we can readily see in this essay—was no high-handed moralist。tIf Dickens shows genuine commiseration with the working class， he shows anything but with the criminal and parasitical elements of his day—the elements then referred to as “roughs，” but which have earned the more recent sobriquet of “hooligans。” For the evidence， see Chapter XXX （“The Ruffian”）， pp。 295-301。tIf I’ve awarded only four stars to this work， it is not because the work falls short of even the twinkle of a fifth star—but rather because Dickens’s fiction is so one-of-a-kind。 The prose in this work of non-fiction shines just as brightly， but it doesn’t move or entertain in quite the same way。tWould I recommend The Uncommercial Traveller to anyone but a Dickens scholar？ Quite honestly， no。 Most of the material is dated—and Dickens’s syntax is， well， Dickensian。 Even the most sedulous of readers has more of literary merit at his or her present command than one life will allow。RRB02/05/16Brooklyn， NY 。。。more
Todd Stockslager
，
Review Title: Fiction or journalism？In the second half of his short brilliant career Dickens returned to the short sketch style that made his first fame in the literary world as "Boz"。 The 37 pieces here were written in three separate periods—1860， 1863， 1868/69—when his personal and professional life had radically changed， and when his pace of writing longer fiction serially had slowed down。 The results are good， if uneven， but always recognizably Dickens。By 1860 Dickens was separated from wife Review Title: Fiction or journalism？In the second half of his short brilliant career Dickens returned to the short sketch style that made his first fame in the literary world as "Boz"。 The 37 pieces here were written in three separate periods—1860， 1863， 1868/69—when his personal and professional life had radically changed， and when his pace of writing longer fiction serially had slowed down。 The results are good， if uneven， but always recognizably Dickens。By 1860 Dickens was separated from wife Catharine and his affair with Ellen Ternan was in full swing。 He had become a restless and almost obsessive traveler， trying to find a place to settle his mind or at least mask his guilty conscience。 He would soon have the idea of the readings from his books which combined that frantic travel with his drive to earn increasing amounts of money to fund his and his large extended family's profligate habits。 So here he writes in the guise of the "uncommercial" traveler， who works for no one but the firm of "Human Interest Brothers， " in contrast to the growing community of business travelers （salesmen， professionals， and upper middle class business men） who rode the expanding rail network from place to place。Published originally in his monthly serial journals before being collected， the pieces are aimed straight at the heart of his target audience: travelogues of London， poignant humor highlighting the plight of the poor， pointed humor driving at the heartlessness of the government。 Most pieces are a blend of all three。 Editor Daniel Tyler provides footnotes for topical and literary references， and also documents the （mostly very minor） textual differences between the pieces as originally published and as later collected for book publication。By 1868/69， when the last pieces were written， Dickens's time and energy were consumed by the reading tours that killed him just a year after the last of the pieces was published。 I found these last few some of the least successful in the collection。 Especially cloying is number XXXII， "A Small Star in the East，" when during a ramble through a very poor section of East London he describes knocking on doors of random poor people's flats and writing about their straitened conditions。 Yes， he was the famous Charles Dickens， known for his sympathy for and with the working poor， and would have likely been known by them。 But at this point of his life one days earnings from his many profitable ventures could have sustained one of these needy families for a year。 And he doesn't name names， but surely there was an underlying tension between being visited by the famous Inimitible， and the humiliation of being an exemplar of grinding poverty。But by this stage in his career Dickens had so refined his craft that he could （seemingly effortlessly， although if you read his letters you learn the toll such effort took on his mental and physical health） turn his keen eye for observation of people， places， and dialogue into a seamless blend of journalism， essay， fiction， and poetic description。 Which makes me wonder if he really did so brazenly invite himself in to these poor hovels， or was this an example of the fertile writer at work？ Is this journalism or fiction， a question without a verifiable answer， which makes it unquestionably art， and Inimitibly Dickens。 。。。more
John
，
This was an easy book to put down again and again。 I read it over a period of several weeks。 Some articles deserved five stars， others far lower。 I knew this before taking it up to read but it was the last of Dickens works I had to read in my set of 30 volumes。 Of the 30 volumes， only 5 were given less than 5 stars。 Pearl Buck claimed to have read every volume of this set every year of her adult life。 OF course she made this claim in her later life when she wrote some of her worst books ， so？ I This was an easy book to put down again and again。 I read it over a period of several weeks。 Some articles deserved five stars， others far lower。 I knew this before taking it up to read but it was the last of Dickens works I had to read in my set of 30 volumes。 Of the 30 volumes， only 5 were given less than 5 stars。 Pearl Buck claimed to have read every volume of this set every year of her adult life。 OF course she made this claim in her later life when she wrote some of her worst books ， so？ I do reread GREAT EXPECTATIONS and DAVID COPPERFIELD every few years。 I will never reread this one however。 。。。more
AngélicaMa
，
Bello！ una picaresca y a la vez crítica descripción de una Europa del XIX
Spiros
，
Phew， what a slog: this is definitely some high-fiber prose。This collection of Dickens' later magazine articles， as well as some reprinted earlier works which The Inimitable curated himself， tested my endurance。 The pieces are all worthwhile， and many are brilliant: it's just that there are so damn many of them， and they are all so dense。 In many of the riverside articles， and the stories set amongst the poor， one can discern the genesis of much of works such as Bleak House， Little Dorrit， Ha Phew， what a slog: this is definitely some high-fiber prose。This collection of Dickens' later magazine articles， as well as some reprinted earlier works which The Inimitable curated himself， tested my endurance。 The pieces are all worthwhile， and many are brilliant: it's just that there are so damn many of them， and they are all so dense。 In many of the riverside articles， and the stories set amongst the poor， one can discern the genesis of much of works such as Bleak House， Little Dorrit， Hard Times， and especially Our Mutual Friend。 "Holiday Romance"， a series of tales told in the voices of wildly imaginative children， felt a lot like the work of Spike Milligan。 And "The Noble Savage" was rather toe-curlingly racist。 Throughout these articles， I couldn't help feel that "The New Journalism" had pretty much been an invention of Charles Dickens。 。。。more
Lara Malik
，
No tengo palabras para explicar cuanto adoro la técnica narrativa de este autor。Lo primero que deben saber al encarar este libro es que probablemente sea una lectura pesada， pero muy profunda。 La forma de describir el ambiente y sus pensamientos es casi poetica， increíble es saber que realmente es una narración de un viaje realizado por él。 Si me preguntan， esta clase se escritura me recordo al existencialismo， ¿Por qué？ Por su visión de la realidad en las calles de Londres， por sus detallistas No tengo palabras para explicar cuanto adoro la técnica narrativa de este autor。Lo primero que deben saber al encarar este libro es que probablemente sea una lectura pesada， pero muy profunda。 La forma de describir el ambiente y sus pensamientos es casi poetica， increíble es saber que realmente es una narración de un viaje realizado por él。 Si me preguntan， esta clase se escritura me recordo al existencialismo， ¿Por qué？ Por su visión de la realidad en las calles de Londres， por sus detallistas observaciones y su crítica hacia la sociedad victoriana。Un libro que deberia ser más tomado en cuenta y hasta incluido en la curricula escolar。 。。。more
Andrea Engle
，
Dickens， in his unique authorial voice， transports us to Victorian Britain， introducing us to the age of sail and the steam locomotive 。。。 passionate in his defense of the poverty-stricken and his intolerance of the hypocritical， evocative in his memories of stagecoach England， ghoulish in his description of a Paris morgue， he weaves his magic in a series of thirty-seven essays 。。。 a must-read for the student of the Victorian era 。。。
Ralph Britton
，
I think this collection of his journalism is less read now than Dickens's novels， but that's a pity as it shows his talents just as clearly。 The essays are a mixture of humour and hard-hitting journalism on the social evils that Dickens tried so hard to eradicate。 It is mixed in quality but contains some of his best writing。 Sketches by Boz is perhaps more startlingly brilliant but The Uncommercial Traveller is more mature and considered。 I think this collection of his journalism is less read now than Dickens's novels， but that's a pity as it shows his talents just as clearly。 The essays are a mixture of humour and hard-hitting journalism on the social evils that Dickens tried so hard to eradicate。 It is mixed in quality but contains some of his best writing。 Sketches by Boz is perhaps more startlingly brilliant but The Uncommercial Traveller is more mature and considered。 。。。more
Dave
，
2021: Started again and remembered why not--these essays have the apostrophizing and the sentimentality of the novels， but they don't have the drive or the mystery。 They're social commentary， for the most part， and though Dickens can do that， that's not why I like Dickens。 But I encourage you to read "Night Walks，" which has the raw material of Great Expectations and Bleak House in it。 2013: Less essays， more magazine articles from the nineteenth century--nice but not life-changing 2021: Started again and remembered why not--these essays have the apostrophizing and the sentimentality of the novels， but they don't have the drive or the mystery。 They're social commentary， for the most part， and though Dickens can do that， that's not why I like Dickens。 But I encourage you to read "Night Walks，" which has the raw material of Great Expectations and Bleak House in it。 2013: Less essays， more magazine articles from the nineteenth century--nice but not life-changing 。。。more
Julie Unruh
，
I have finished the book， and the last paragraph was about Charles Dickens， going to a poor apartment building and offering all these couples money who did not have food to eat。 The last thing he did was go to a Children's hospital and give them money to take better care of the kids。 I didn't read it fast because I had to look up all the words and read and understand old English writing。 But， it is a good book and would recommend it to people。 I have finished the book， and the last paragraph was about Charles Dickens， going to a poor apartment building and offering all these couples money who did not have food to eat。 The last thing he did was go to a Children's hospital and give them money to take better care of the kids。 I didn't read it fast because I had to look up all the words and read and understand old English writing。 But， it is a good book and would recommend it to people。 。。。more
Fiona
，
I know some will be appalled that I can give Dickens only 3 stars。 I wanted to read these pieces as I believed them to be semi-autobiographical journalism。 I was interested to read about workhouses， almshouses， the life of the 19th century London poor in general。 All you have to do is Google up a couple of the places mentioned to find that they don't exist but that Dickens 'probably' based them on some other place。 Journalism then becomes fiction because what do fiction writers often do but writ I know some will be appalled that I can give Dickens only 3 stars。 I wanted to read these pieces as I believed them to be semi-autobiographical journalism。 I was interested to read about workhouses， almshouses， the life of the 19th century London poor in general。 All you have to do is Google up a couple of the places mentioned to find that they don't exist but that Dickens 'probably' based them on some other place。 Journalism then becomes fiction because what do fiction writers often do but write fictionalised accounts of familiar places？ I found some of them quite self indulgent but then he was printing them in his own publication so could produce what he wanted。 They were also written in competition with Thackeray's contributions to his own publication so there was literally a war of words going on。 I didn't read every article but dare say I might dip in again occasionally。 Overall， I'm quite disappointed though。 。。。more
Ian Russell
，
A collection of articles， essays and reports， written in the later part of Dickens' life for a publication， a kind of serial magazine he had founded， form a kind of journal which now reads not unlike a blog。 These writings have no theme other than Dickens' observations on contemporary life。 There are accounts of a shipwreck and local heroes; his night-walking cures for insomnia; visits to a London workhouse; an emigrant ship transporting Mormons to America; his dull town of birth; lawyers; tramp A collection of articles， essays and reports， written in the later part of Dickens' life for a publication， a kind of serial magazine he had founded， form a kind of journal which now reads not unlike a blog。 These writings have no theme other than Dickens' observations on contemporary life。 There are accounts of a shipwreck and local heroes; his night-walking cures for insomnia; visits to a London workhouse; an emigrant ship transporting Mormons to America; his dull town of birth; lawyers; tramps; nurses; pubs; mortuaries; graveyards; railway food; sea-sickness; travelling abroad; and a view inside London's deserted churches。 They range from the serious， profound， and touching to the whimsical， humorous， and anecdotal。 He rambles digressively at times and at others， I found him a little incomprehensible， but just as I might following any modern day blogger。 I wonder what he would have made of Wordpress etc。Though I will admit to skimming over a few paragraphs through tedium， I'm glad I read Uncommercial Traveller。 On the whole， it's interesting， historically， and entertaining and， obviously， Dickens knew how to write！ Btw， it's free to download from various web sources。 。。。more
Timothy Ferguson
，
This is a series of magazine articles， I assume， as they are short pieces and he specialized in that form。 They purport to be his reminiscences on minor events he has seen while traveling， although their veracity is impossible to confirm。 They tend toward his usual themes， poverty， the suffering of the hidden underclass， the way terrible things happen just out of sight in Victorian England。I thought that to the Victorian English， rural life was something of an idyll， but Dickens seems to suggest This is a series of magazine articles， I assume， as they are short pieces and he specialized in that form。 They purport to be his reminiscences on minor events he has seen while traveling， although their veracity is impossible to confirm。 They tend toward his usual themes， poverty， the suffering of the hidden underclass， the way terrible things happen just out of sight in Victorian England。I thought that to the Victorian English， rural life was something of an idyll， but Dickens seems to suggest that rural life is basically part of the ”just out of sight”， which is far more dystopian and disturbing that I thought was common in the era。 Not to put too much weight on a parallel， I thought the Victorian view was basically like the opening ceremony of the Olympics。 They thought the peasants had happy lives playing with apples， and that things were only really grimy and horrible in the cities。 Not so， in Dickens。 Basically there’s a centre of art and culture and light and everything about it seems to be terribly bleak: indeed the bleakness seems to be the price of the light。I found its lack of mangled， saintly children refreshing。 I found the second chapter， which was about the shipwreck of the Royal Charter， genuinely touching。 The chapter which repeats the stories which were told to him by his nurse， and recounts his terror at them， is incredibly personal and genuinely seems like a record of what we would consider his repeated emotional abuse。 At the time， of course it would not be considered harmful – Dickens himself seems to see them as the genesis of his career as a writer of Christmas ghost stories。 Originally reviewed on book coasters 。。。more
Alan
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Delightful--and pertinent a century and a half later。 Who knew the Victorians ate so well， even in an abandoned Inn （the Railroad had circumvented this old coach-house）: "The stopperless cruets on the spindle-shanked sideboard were in a miserably dejected state: the anchovy sauce having turned blue some years ago， and the cayenne pepper （with a scoop in it like a small model of a wooden leg） having turned solid。" Not politically correct， because of his use of the French "sauvage"， still CD is hi Delightful--and pertinent a century and a half later。 Who knew the Victorians ate so well， even in an abandoned Inn （the Railroad had circumvented this old coach-house）: "The stopperless cruets on the spindle-shanked sideboard were in a miserably dejected state: the anchovy sauce having turned blue some years ago， and the cayenne pepper （with a scoop in it like a small model of a wooden leg） having turned solid。" Not politically correct， because of his use of the French "sauvage"， still CD is hilarious on funeral customs in a chapter titled French Funerals: "The waste for which the funeral customs of many tribes of savages are conspicuous， has attended these civilised obsequies; and once， and twice， have I wished in my soul that if the waste must be， they would let the undertaker bury the money， and let me bury the friend。" The most telling piece this time through is "Medicine Men of Civilization，" a fine cross-cultural analysis and satire which shines a spotlight on our recent American presidential election （Romney-Obama） and on the petrified Congress （in the stony wooden scale）: "It is a widely diffused custom among savage tribes， when they meet to discuss any affair of public importance， to sit up all night making horrible noise， dancing， blowing shells， and （in cases where they are familiar with fire-arms） flying out into open spaces and letting off guns。 Our legislative assembles might take a hint from this。。。。 The uselessness of arguing with any supporter of a Government or an Opposition， is well known。 Try dancing。 It is better excercise， and has the unspeakable recommendation that it couldn't be reported。。。。A council of six hundred savage gentlemen entirely independent of tailors， sitting on their hams in a ring， and occasionally grunting， seem to me， according to my travels， somehow to do what they come together for; whereas that is not at all the general experience of six hundred civilised gentlemen very dependent on tailors and sitting on mechanical contrivances。" 。。。more
Tinquerbelle
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Dickens， CharlesA Tale of Two Cities; The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices; The Uncommercial Traveller; No ThoroughfareIn compilation only。
Mark Kaplan
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Snapshots of various places。 Excellent characters， naturally， but it didn't work for me， predominantly because the story is so episodic。 It's much like a travelogue， but one that is focused on a realistic depiction of people and places met。 Interesting， but not captivating。 Unlike his other works， I found this book easy to put down。 Snapshots of various places。 Excellent characters， naturally， but it didn't work for me， predominantly because the story is so episodic。 It's much like a travelogue， but one that is focused on a realistic depiction of people and places met。 Interesting， but not captivating。 Unlike his other works， I found this book easy to put down。 。。。more
arg/machine
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This collection of "literary sketches and reminiscences" is now in the public domain。 A free electronic copy can be found here。 This collection of "literary sketches and reminiscences" is now in the public domain。 A free electronic copy can be found here。 。。。more
Susan
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If anyone has notions of a romantic Victorian England this factual & non-fiction book will put you wise to the terrible conditions & poverty a large number （especially in towns/cities）of the population were forced to live in with next to no help exact from a small minority of the better off。A queen who allowed her subjects to live in such dire straits should never have been queen。It took me a while to read it because of the depressive state the book related。
Marti
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