Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour is a delightful comic satire of the fox-hunting fraternity of the mid 19th Century. Surtees takes great pleasure in creating comic personalities and dialogue and resembles the later Pickwick Papers of Dickens, whose style may well have been influenced by Surtees. The story follows the eponymous Soapy Sponge, a Victorian freeloader and confidence trickster, who manages to work his way around the gentrified houses of southern England, fox-hunting as he goes. - Summary by Kevin Green
Chapters
1 Preface 1 min 2 Chapter 1 - Our Hero 13 min 3 Chapter 2 - Mr Benjamin Buckram 13 min 4 Chapter 3 - Peter Leather 20 min 5 Chapter 4 - Laverick Wells 10 min 6 Chapter 5 - Mr. Waffles 20 min 7 Chapter 6 - Laverick Wells 11 min 8 Chapter 7 - Our Hero Arrives at Laverick Wells 16 min 9 Chapter 8 - Old Tom Towler 10 min 10 Chapter 9 - The Meet, The Find and The Finish 40 min 11 Chapter 10 - The Feeler 10 min 12 Chapter 11 - The Deal, and the Disaster 11 min 13 Chapter 12 - An Old Friend 21 min 14 Chapter 13 - A New Scheme 16 min 15 Chapter 14 - Jawleyford Court 12 min 16 Chapter 15 - The Jawleyford Establishment 15 min 17 Chapter 16 - The Dinner 11 min 18 Chapter 17 - The Tea 6 min 19 Chapter 18 - The Evening's Reflections 9 min 20 Chapter 19 - The Wet Day 24 min 21 Chapter 20 - The F.H.H 19 min 22 Chapter 21 - A Country Dinner Party 28 min 23 Chapter 22 - The F.H.H. Again 22 min 24 Chapter 23 - The Great Run 30 min 25 Chapter 24 - Lord Scamperdale at Home 23 min 26 Chapter 25 - Mr Spraggon's Embassy to Jawleyford Court 53 min 27 Chapter 26 - Mr and Mrs Springwheat 25 min 28 Chapter 27 - The Finest Run that Ever was Seen 15 min 29 Chapter 28 - The Faithful Groom 13 min 30 Chapter 29 - The Cross-Roads at Dallington Burn 18 min 31 Chapter 30 - Bolting the Badger 15 min 32 Chapter 31 - Mr Puffington; or The Young Man About Town 16 min 33 Chapter 32 - The Man of P-R-O-R-PERTY 12 min 34 Chapter 33 - A Swell Huntsman 17 min 35 Chapter 34 - The Beaufort Justice 13 min 36 Chapter 35 - Lord Scamperdale at Jawleyford Court 19 min 37 Chapter 36 - Mr Bragg's Kennel Management 9 min 38 Chapter 37 - Mr Puffington's Domestic Arrangements 15 min 39 Chapter 38 - A Day with Puffington's Hounds 20 min 40 Chapter 39 - Writing a Run 32 min 41 Chapter 40 - A Literary Bloomer 10 min 42 Chapter 41 - A Dinner and a Deal 29 min 43 Chapter 42 - The Morning's Reflections 16 min 44 Chapter 43 - Another Sick Host 13 min 45 Chapter 44 - Wanted - A Rich God-Papa! 17 min 46 Chapter 45 - The Discomfited Diplomatist 25 min 47 Chapter 46 - Puddingpote Bower, The Seat of Jogglebury Crowdey Esq 22 min 48 Chapter 47 - A Family Breakfast on a Hunting Morning 23 min 49 Chapter 48 - Hunting the Hounds 13 min 50 Chapter 49 - Country Quarters 10 min 51 Chapter 50 - Sir Harry Scattercash's Hounds 28 min 52 Chapter 51 - Farmer Peastraw's Dine-Matinee 29 min 53 Chapter 52 - A Moonlight Ride 6 min 54 Chapter 53 - Puddingpote Bower 14 min 55 Chapter 54 - Family Jars 13 min 56 Chapter 55 - The Trigger 17 min 57 Chapter 56 - Nonsuch House Again 28 min 58 Chapter 57 - The Debate 7 min 59 Chapter 58 - Facey Romford 17 min 60 Chapter 59 - The Adjourned Debate 6 min 61 Chapter 60 - Facey Romford at Home 21 min 62 Chapter 61 - Nonsuch House Again 9 min 63 Chapter 62 - A Family Breakfast 7 min 64 Chapter 63 - The Rising Generation 20 min 65 Chapter 64 - The Kennel and the Stud 15 min 66 Chapter 65 - The Hunt 36 min 67 Chapter 66 - Mr Sponge at Home 5 min 68 Chapter 67 - How they Got Up the 'Grand Aristocratic Steeple-Chase' 15 min 69 Chapter 68 - How the 'Grand Aristocratic' Came Off 30 min 70 Chapter 69 - How Other Things Came Off 6 min 71 Chapter 70 - How Lord Scamperdale and Co. Came Off 8 min
