Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow

Published in 1886 and dedicated to the writer's ally in idling-his pipe-this collection of entertaining essays established Jerome K. Jerome as an eminent English wit. "What readers ask nowadays in a book is that it should improve, instruct, and elevate. This book wouldn't elevate a cow. I cannot conscientiously recommend it for any useful purposes whatever. All I can suggest is that when you get tired of reading 'the best hundred books, ' you may take this up for half an hour. It will be a change." Here are his idle and amusing thoughts on all aspects of life-from love to poverty, vanity to ambition, babies to cats and dogs-and, of course, on the pleasures of spending one's time idling