Most of these eleven essays and 117 literary reviews were written by Mary Butts during the 1930s, her most productive period. Their range, variety, and depth of subject are particularly remarkable, running the gamut from classical Greek and Roman history and literature to contemporary popular fiction (particularly the historical, mysterious, and uncanny genres), and from modern English and French history to Eastern religion, the American Depression, and gardening. Together they describe a hitherto overlooked or undervalued dimension within her richly complex oeuvre. She imbues her work with intelligence and brio, while taking a conversational and opinionated approach, often winy, occasionally arch, and sprinkled with entertaining asides. Initially, she was commissioned by The Bookman, but soon became engaged by many prominent newspapers and journals-including The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator, The Manchester Guardian, and The London Mercury. A eulogy in Time and Tide concluded: "She touched nothing that she did not in some way enrich." Book jacket.