On the Margin

The essays that appear in On the Margin are a testimony to the polymathic reach of Aldous Huxley’s intellect, as well as to the relish with which he entered into some of his more surprising enthusiasms. As perceptive and assured in discussing the art of the advertisement and the limericks of Edward Lear as he is in expounding on the “gorgeous spiritual measles” of the European Renaissance, Huxley also writes with genuine warmth and charm about the pleasures of everyday life—about the satisfactions to be derived from a properly bound book or the maddening euphony of a dripping tap. This is an indispensable collection from an underrated master of the essay form.