The Uncommercial Traveller (Illustrated)

The role of the explorer and investigator of interesting things was explained by Dickens in the introduction to the work:

Allow me to introduce myself--first negatively.
No landlord is my friend and brother, no chambermaid loves me, no waiter worships me, no boots admires and envies me. No round of beef or tongue or ham is expressly cooked for me, no pigeon-pie is especially made f...