The first of his literary efforts was the tragedy of "The Sultan of
India," written in his precocious school-days at Chatham, when, if we
except his Parliamentary journalistic work, nothing else was put forth
until "The Dinner at Poplar Walk" was published in the _Monthly Magazine_
(1833). The original "Sketches by Boz"--the first of which bore no
signature--also followed in the _Monthly Magazine_. Other sketches under
the same generic title also appeared in the _Evening Chronicle_, and yet
others, under the title of "Scenes and Characters," were published in
"Bell's Life in London" and the "Library of Fiction."

In 1836 a number of these fugitive pieces were collected into a volume,
the copyright of which was sold to one Macrone for L100, who published
them under the first and best known title, "Sketches by Boz." The
familiar story of "Pickwick," its early conception and its final
publication, is well known. Its first publication (in parts) dated from
1836-37. About this time Dickens had another bad attack of stage-fever,
and wrote a farce, "The Strange Gentleman," the libretto of an opera
called "The Village Coquettes," and a comedy, "Is She His Wife?" more
particularly perhaps for amateur representation, in which he was very fond
of taking part. "Oliver Twist," a courageous attack on the Poor Laws and
Bumbledom, followed in 1838, though it was not completed until after
"Nicholas Nickleby" began to appear in 1839.

At this time was started _Master Humphrey's Clock_, a sort of miscellany
in which it was intended to publish a series of papers written chiefly by
Dickens himself after the style of Addison's _Spectator_ of a former day.
It was not at first successful, and only upon the commencement therein of
the "Old Curiosity Shop" did it take on in any sense.

Master Humphrey's Clock ran down with the completion of the novel, though
this story, in company with "Barnaby Rudge," a tale of the riots of '80,
was not issued in book form until 1848 and 1849.

The authorship of "Pickwick" was unknown by the great mass of the public
until very nearly the completion of the work in serial parts. Much
conjecture was raised, and a writer in _Bentley's Miscellany_ published
the following lines under the title of:

IMPROMPTU

_"Who the_ Dickens _'Boz' could be_
_Puzzled many a learned elf,_
_Till time revealed the mystery,_
_And 'Boz' appeared as_ Dickens' _self."_

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