This 1860 sequel to the author's popular 1858 collection of essays, The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, continues the genial, conversational quality of its predecessor. In order to continue interest in a second volume, this book is much more aggressive in tone and thought. It questions aspects of religion, for which an apologia appears in the preface. The essays demonstrate Yankee Ingenuity – or, the self reliance displayed by early colonial settlers. It also contains the story of a young girl named Iris, which the London Times praised for its "beauty of form and dramatic interest."