The Uncommercial Traveller by Charles Dickens is a mid-19th century collection of essays and travelogues that follows the character known as the Uncommercial Traveller, who journeys across Britain while offering sharp observations on social issues, human experiences, and the complexities of life in Victorian society. Through this character, Dickens explores themes such as poverty, class disparities, and the human condition.
The book opens with a humorous and self-deprecating introduction to the Uncommercial Traveller himself, who describes his existence as a wanderer straddling both town and country, free from any ties to commercial agents or hospitality. In the first chapter, he sets the tone for his journeys by sharing the wide range of experiences he has encountered?from quiet beaches to bustling markets. The second chapter shifts to a moving reflection on the shipwreck of the Royal Charter, capturing the tragedy and the lasting human impact on the lives lost, as well as the efforts of a clergyman to preserve dignity in death. This framework sets the stage for Dickens’s further explorations of society’s hardships and poignant moments found within everyday life.

CHAPTER I. His General Line of Business
CHAPTER II. The Shipwreck
CHAPTER III. Wapping Workhouse
CHAPTER IV. Two Views of a Cheap Theatre
CHAPTER V. Poor Mercantile Jack
CHAPTER VI. Refreshments for Travellers
CHAPTER VII. Travelling Abroad
CHAPTER VIII. The Great Tasmania’s Cargo
CHAPTER IX. City of London Churches
CHAPTER X. Shy Neighbourhoods
CHAPTER XI. Tramps
CHAPTER XII. Dullborough Town
CHAPTER XIII. Night Walks
CHAPTER XIV. Chambers
CHAPTER XV. Nurse’s Stories
CHAPTER XVI. Arcadian London
CHAPTER XVII. The Italian Prisoner
CHAPTER XVIII. The Calais Night Mail
CHAPTER XIX. Some Recollections of Mortality
CHAPTER XX. Birthday Celebrations
CHAPTER XXI. The Short-Timers
CHAPTER XXII. Bound for the Great Salt Lake
CHAPTER XXIII. The City of the Absent
CHAPTER XXIV. An Old Stage-coaching House
CHAPTER XXV. The Boiled Beef of New England
CHAPTER XXVI. Chatham Dockyard
CHAPTER XXVII. In the French-Flemish Country
CHAPTER XXVIII. Medicine Men of Civilisation
CHAPTER XXIX. Titbull’s Alms-Houses
CHAPTER XXX. The Ruffian
CHAPTER XXXI. Aboard Ship
CHAPTER XXXII. A Small Star in the East
CHAPTER XXXIII. A Little Dinner in an Hour
CHAPTER XXXIV. Mr. Barlow
CHAPTER XXXV. On an Amateur Beat
CHAPTER XXXVI. A Fly-Leaf in a Life
CHAPTER XXXVII. A Plea for Total Abstinence