A hermit's notes on Thoreau -- The solitude of Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The origins of Hawthorne and Poe -- The influence of Emerson -- The spirit of Carlyle -- The science of English verse -- Arthur Symons: the two illusions -- The epic of Ireland -- Two poets of the Irish movement [W.B. Years and Lionel Johnson] -- Tolstoy; or, The ancient feud between philosophy and art -- The religious ground of humanitarianism.
"All but one of these essays were written for magazines or for the daily press". "Authorized reprint of the original edition, produced by microfilm-xerography by University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1964".