In the last decade of his life, Leacock turned to writing informal essays that blended humour with a conversational style and ripened wisdom to address the issues he cared about most - education, literature, economics, Canada and its place in the world - and to confront the joys and sorrows of his own life. With an introduction that sets them in the context of his life, thoughts and times, these essays reveal a passionate, intelligent, personal Leacock, against a backdrop of Depression and war, finding hope and conveying the timeless message that only the human spirit can bring social justice, peace, and progress.

Besides a 30-page introduction, this book includes the following essays by Leacock:

Life on the Old Farm (1944)

My Remarkable Uncle (1941)

The Struggle to Make Us Gentlemen (1941)

My Education and What I Think of It Now (1944)

Looking Back on College (1938)

Andrew Macphail (1938)

How Much Does Language Change? (1938)

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime (1935)

What Is Left of Adam Smith? (1935)

Through a Glass Darkly (1936)

So This is Winnipeg (1937)

The Land of Dreams (1937)

I'll Stay in Canada (1936)

This International Stuff (1936)

Canada and the Monarchy (1939)

Bonds of Union (1940)

Paradise Lost (1936)

Looking Back From Retirement (1937)

Bass Fishing on Lake Simcoe with Jake Gaudaur (1939)

Common Sense and the Universe (1942)

Three Score and Ten (1940)

War-Time Santa Claus (1942)

To Every Child (1944)