Essays, Irish and American: Restored Classics to Go Edition

This vivid 1918 collection gathers John Butler Yeats's essays on art, society, and the human comedy, introduced by A.E.'s warm appreciation of Yeats as a gifted painter and humane observer. The pieces move from personal recollection to sharp social criticism, with wit and affection always close to the surface. In "Recollections of Samuel Butler," Yeats turns to literary memory, while other essays examine Irish identity, the pressure of modern institutions, and the loss of individuality in home, school, and public life. Across the volume, Yeats contrasts old-fashioned hospitality, strict but formative schooling, and the dignity of distinctive personalities with the flattening effects of democracy, convenience, and mass behavior. He ranges boldly from national character to domestic life, comparing French and English temperaments, probing the egotist's place in society, and even finding unexpected tenderness in marriage. His defense of Synge and the Aran Islands reveals his faith in living speech, folklore, and the imaginative truth of local life. The result is a book of lively, provocative reflections shaped by curiosity, mischief, and deep humanity. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.