Originally published in 1908, as part of the Cambridge English Classics series, this volume of Samuel Butler’s writings falls into two parts: the first part was derived from Thyer’s edition of The Genuine Remains in Verse and Prose of Mr Samuel Butler; the second part contains previously unpublished material taken from the Butler Manuscripts in the British Library. The text is made up of a series of character sketches and essays on various subjects. An appendix of unclassified observations and an editorial notes section are also included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the works of Butler, the development of satire and seventeenth-century literature in general.