The Chapman and Hall Title-page for "Sketches by Boz" (1839, rpt. 1890) (original) (raw)

Preface

The whole of these Sketches were written and published, one by one, when I was a very young man. They were collected and republished while I was still a very young man; and sent into the world with all their imperfections (a good many) on their heads.

They comprise my first attempts at authorship — with the exception of certain tragedies achieved at the mature age of eight or ten, and represented with great applause to overflowing nurseries. I am conscious of their often being extremely crude and ill-considered, and bearing obvious marks of haste and inexperience; particularly in that section of the present volume which is comprised under the general head of Tales.

But as this collection is not originated now, and was very leniently and favourably received when it was first made, I have not felt it right either to remodel or expunge, beyond a few words and phrases here and there. — June 1839, p. vi.

Commentary

All began auspiciously enough in October, 1835, when Harrison Ainsworth's publisher, John Macrone, suggested that Dickens collect his short pieces on London life, which had appeared separately in various magazines and newspapers under his pseudonym, Boz, and publish them in a volume to be illustrated by George Cruikshank. The former employee of Warren's Blacking (for whom the ubiquitous Cruikshank had made some woodcut advertisements) was exhilarated at the idea. The very presence of Cruikshank's name on a title page guaranteed a sizable sale. By the 1830's, his preeminence in book illustration was so evident that Daniel Maclise had included a picture of him seated on a beer barrel sketching on the crown of his hat, in the "Gallery of Illustrious Literary Characters" for Fraser's Magazine (fig. 2). In agreeing to illustrate what became the Sketches by Boz, Cruikshank conferred on the novice author one of his first genuine honors. Aware of the artist's condescension, Dickens suggested to the publisher that a more modest title might be:

Sketches by Boz and Cuts by Cruikshank

or —

Etchings by Boz and Wood Cuts by Cruikshank

The proposed titles displayed the young man's shrewdness as well as modesty. The fact that the published title referred to the author but not the artist, however, proved prophetic.

The first meeting between the two collaborators on November 17, 1835, was gratifying, especially for Dickens. Cruikshank not only wanted to study his published pieces but promised that, as far as he was concerned, the work could appear by Christmas. The veteran would have been kinder had he warned the neophyte about the difficulties involved in trying to coordinate their efforts with those of the publisher and printer to produce an illustrated volume in little more than a month. Deferred conferences and belated proofs were inevitable. Tension grew. Misunderstandings resulted. At the end of November, Dickens anxiously requested the list of illustrations Cruikshank intended. The artist, perhaps scribbling human and diabolic faces on a corner of the author's letter in his annoyance, complained to Macrone: he said he resented being pressed for illustrations before receiving the complete text and regretted this "unpleasant turn" of affairs. The author, realizing that his Sketches could not appear by Christmas, no longer rested content with Cruikshank's "good opinion" of and "kind interest" in his work. Irate at the apparent offhandedness of the artist, who promised one plate one week and two the next, and assuming that each plate illustrated one subject, Dickens magisterially informed Macrone that Cruikshank required the "spur." Then realizing that each plate actually contained four subjects, the embarrassed writer became conciliatory, assured Macrone that perhaps the later publication date would prove fortuitous, and concealed his irritation at the further delays due to the artist's refusal to be moved by imperatives of time by praising his labors in behalf of Boz. It was February 18, 1836, before the Sketches finally appeared. — Jane Rabb Cohen, "Part One: Dickens and His Early Illustrators," Chapter One, "George Cruikshank," pp. 15-16.

The Illustrations: A List by Prof. Paul Schlicke, University of Aberdeen

[corrected 23.06.05]

This list collates my own findings with Cary Ser's list and with the modern editions of [Michael] Slater and Walder. It draws on information in [Frederic G.] Kitton, Dickens and His Illustrators; Eckel, First Editions; and [Robert L.] Patten, Charles Dickens and His Publishers.

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The Library of Fiction was a monthly publication by the recently founded firm of Chapman and Hall; its full title was The Library of Fiction; or, Family Story-Teller; Consisting of Original Tales, Essays and Sketches of Character (April 1836 through July 1837)

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Add:

The Omnibus by Seymour, from Seymour's Comic Album (London: William Kidd [1834?]), accompanying a snippet lifted from "The Bloomsbury Christening" 1836 frontispiece to "The Strange Gentleman" by Phiz (the Gentleman and Mary Wilson)
Cover design (1837) 1 —
Vignette title page (1839) — 2
1850 frontispiece to The Cheap Edition (Parsons released from the chimney) by Cruikshank
1858 vignette on title-page for The Library Edition The Great Winglebury Duel (Trott and the Boots) by Phiz.

Notes

[1] Eckel, p. 12, and Patten, p. 36n, confirm that some (most?) copies (including that in Aberdeen) mistakenly reproduce this illustration twice, as frontispiece and as accompaniment to the relevant sketch. Those lists (such as Podeschi's) which report 10 plates, thus can be accounted for: there are 9 subjects, but the repetition creates 10 plates.

[2] Kitton, p. 4, and Eckel, p. 14, state that this illustration was prepared but not used.

[3] Patten, p. 41 states that the total number of illustrations used for 1st and 2nd series was 27, which agrees with the count listed above: 8 + 8 + 9 + 2 = 27.

[4] The first of Robert Seymour's two illustrations accompanying the original publication of "The Tuggs's at Ramsgate" [ SB52] in the Library of Fiction 31 March 1836.

[5] The second of Seymour's illustrations for "The Tuggs's at Ramsgate."

[6] Robert Buss's illustration accompanying the original publication of "A Little Talk about the Spring" [SB53] in Library of Fiction, 31 May 1836.

[7] Kitton identifies 12 subjects, but the existence of two illustrations for a single sketch would account for the 13 new plates, bringing the total to 40, which is the figure everyone agrees to.

The prolegomena illustrations in the 1839 edition

Left: George Cruikshank's original illustrations at the head of the 1839 anthology: left, Half-title Vignette; centre, The Election for Beadle; and right, The Parish Engine (1839). [Click on the images to enlarge them.]

Bibliography

Ackroyd, Peter. Dickens: A Biography. London: Sinclair-Stevenson, 1990.

Bentley, Nicholas, Michael Slater, and Nina Burgis. The Dickens: Index. Oxfiord: Oxford U. P., 1990.

Cohen, Jane Rabb. Part One, "Dickens and His Early Illustrators: 1. George Cruikshank. Charles Dickens and His Original Illustrators. Columbus: Ohio University Press, 1980. Pp. 15-38.

Dickens, Charles. Sketches by Boz. Second series. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. London: John Macrone, 1836.

Dickens, Charles. Sketches by Boz. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. London: Chapman and Hall, 1839.

Dickens, Charles. Sketches by Boz. Illustrated by Fred Barnard. The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1876. Volume XIII.

Dickens, Charles. Sketches by Boz. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. London: Educational Book Company, 1910. Vol. 1.

Dickens, Charles. Sketches by Boz Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-Day People. Ed. Thea Holme. Illustrated by George Cruikshank and Phiz. The Oxford Illustrated Dickens. Oxford: Oxford U. P., 1957; rpt., 1987.

Dickens, Charles. Sketches by Boz Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-Day People. Ed. Dennis Walder. Illustrated by George Cruikshank and Phiz. Penguin Classics. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1995.

Eckel, John C. The First Editions of the Writings of Charles Dickens and Their Values: A Bibliography. London: Chapman and Hall, 1913.

Hammerton, J. A. "The Story of this Book." Charles Dickens's Sketches by Boz Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-Day People. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. Vol. 1. Pp. i-v.

Hawksley, Lucinda Dickens. Chapter 3, "Sketches by Boz." Dickens Bicentenary 1812-2012: Charles Dickens. San Rafael, California: Insight, 2011. Pp. 12-15.

Kitton, Frederic G. "George Cruikshank." Dickens and His Illustrators. London: Chapman & Hall, 1899. Pp. 1-28.

Kitton, Frederic G. The Minor Writings of Charles Dickens: A Bibliography and a Sketch. London: Elliot Stock, 1900.

Patten, Robert L. Charles Dickens and His Publishers. Oxford: Oxford U. P., 1979.

Slater, Michael. Charles Dickens: A Life Defined by Writing. New Haven and London: Yale U. P., 2009.

Slater, Michael. Sketches by Boz and Other Early Papers 1833-1839. The Dent Uniform Edition of Dickens's Journalism. London: J. M. Dent, 1994. Volume 1.

Created 7 June​2017

Last modified 17 May 2023