In some ways a sequel or successor to The Autocrat At The Breakfast-Table, there is plenty of philosophy, social critique and religious insights. Physician, poet, philosopher and essayist, Holmes also contributed much to medical reform in the 1800s. He was a member of the Fireside Poets and regarded as one of the best writers of his day. a collection of essays originally published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1857 and 1858 before being collected in book form. The essays take the form of a chiefly one-sided dialogue between the unnamed 'Author' and the other residents of a New England boarding house who are known only by their profession, location at the table or other defining characteristics. The topics discussed range from an essay on the unexpected benefits of old age to the finest place to site a dwelling and comments on the nature of conversation itself. The tone of the book is distinctly Yankee and takes a serio-comic approach to the subject matter. Each essay typically ends with a poem on the theme of the essay. There are also poems ostensibly written by the fictional disputants scattered throughout.