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This is a diverse collection of essays by English writer Max Beerbohm, whose circle included such famous men as Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Ezra Pound, and Somerset Maugham.

The essays vary considerably in character and subject. They include, among others: a spoof on the bumbling and inarticulate nature of oratory in the House of Commons; a discussion of the writings of James Whistler, the impressionist painter (which Beerbohm considers widely neglected and under-rated); a humorous consideration of why the King of England should make a royal visit to Switzerland; and a description of the delights of frequent attendance at British courts of justice.

The author was among England's best known artists; Section Twenty-Two contains humorous (as well as critical) discussions of nine works of art, including paintings by Reubens, Corot, and Bellini.