This book begins with A Dissertation on Anecdotes, in which Isaac D\'Israeli (father of former Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli) exhibits his interest in anecdotal historiography. He writes about the origin and the nature of anecdotes and argues that they are not only an amusing part of literature, but also provide certain truths about people and their times. D\'Israeli discusses numerous anecdotes from two thousand years of European history and literature. The rest of this enlarged edition continues with some of D\'Israeli\'s essays, which explore literary (for example, \'On Poetical Expression\') and nonliterary topics (for example, \'The Alliance Between Love and Religion\'). Book shows signs of age such as tanning/foxing, fading to some passages, and some pages being thin to the extent that the text on the other side is visible. A small number of annotations throughout. A newspaper cutting regarding Isaac D\'Israeli has been glued to underside of front cover.