This collection of thirty-seven essays by G. K. Chesterton was first collected in 1929 and constitutes the cream of introductions and prefaces he had contributed by that date. Some of them, such as his startling essay on Job, are well known, but most of them have not seen the light of day since this...

This collection of thirty-seven essays by G. K. Chesterton was first collected in 1929 and constitutes the cream of introductions and prefaces he had contributed by that date. Some of them, such as his startling essay on Job, are well known, but most of them have not seen the light of day since this volume drifted into obscurity. Some of these pieces are about people as well known as Matthew Arnold or Dr. Johnson, and the bulk of these are on literary figures; but others may veer on to such topics as Magna Carta or drinking songs. When Chesterton began writing for the Illustrated London News, his editors asked him not to write on religion or politics; he casually mentioned that there are no other subjects and quietly went about his business. These essays are like that. Each is fraught with one or the other topic--fraught because they are in danger of making us think.