Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction -- Beginnings. The pillow book / Sei Shonagon -- Essays in idleness / Yoshida No Kenko -- The Late Medieval Era. Conversations with Shotetsu / Shotetsu -- "To unify the nation and restore civil society" / Ichijo Kaneyoshi -- "Cottage of dreams" and "Three loves" / Shohaku -- A Tenbun miscellany / The Fujiwara Lay Monk -- The Edo period. Laughs to keep you awake / Anrakuan Sakuden -- "On Ohara" / Kinoshita Choshoshi -- Haikai prose / Matsuo Basho -- Amusements / Amenomori Hoshu -- Window musings / Matsuzaki Kanran -- A miscellany of stories / Morita Morimasa -- Chats with myself / Dazai Shundai -- Jeweled comb basket / Motoori Norinaga -- Idle chats beneath a northern window / Tachibana Nankei -- Blossoms and the moon / Matsudaira Sadanobu -- Year by year: a miscellany / Ishiwara Masaakira -- Behind the koto / Murata Harumi -- Shunparo's jottings / Shiba Kokan -- Unusual people of the modern age and Kanden's crop of jottings / Ban Kokei -- Hoary stories / Tadano Makuzu -- Haikai prose / Natsume Seibi -- Clouds of floating grasses -- The Modern Period. Autumn ensemble / Higuchi Ichiyo -- "A cat's grave" and "London fog" / Natsume Soseki -- "Snow" / Tokutomi Roka -- "Desk" / Tayama Katai -- "Fireworks" / Nagai Kafu -- "Laughter" / Terada Torahiko -- "Various thoughts on the Great Kanto earthquake" and "my moral precepts for everyday life" / Kikuchi Kan -- "Master Hyakken's idle fantasies," "Bumpy road," and "A long fence" / Uchida Hyakken -- "The image of an author" / Dazai Osamu -- "Baby sparrow," "Turtledoves," and "Morning glories" / Shiga Naoya -- Esprit and humor / Kawamori Yoshizo -- "Sleepless nights" and "A bed for my books" / Osaragi Jiro -- "On being down with a cold" / Kawakami Tetsutaro -- "The road" / Shono Junzo -- "Kitchen," "Raindrops," and "A memento of the season" / Koda Aya -- "On surgery" and "Rainy day" / Kono Taeko -- "Looking for gloves" / Mukoda Kuniko -- One, we count, then / Takenishi Hiroko -- Sunday musings / Hiraiwa Yumie -- "Dust mogul" and other short essays / Dekune Tatsuro -- "Myna bird" / Kizaki Satoko -- "Concerning the order of culture" / Shiroyama Saburo -- "On zuihitsu" / Sakai Junko.