A collection of essays and correspondence surveying German literary history, medieval language and song, and biographical studies, alongside antiquarian and travel pieces; essays trace the development of German letters from early medieval texts to modern classics, consider linguistic distinctions among Gothic, Old High, and Middle High German, and include profiles of major poets and a selection of personal letters from a contemporary scholar; separate pieces examine English–German literary relations, Cornish antiquities and folklore, and reflections on Shakespeare and Bacon's reception. The tone combines philological observation, cultural history, and literary criticism.