The essay is a formidable piece of work. A good one conveys the argument and the author's point of view and persuades the reader that action and their involvement is required. Over the centuries many of our novelists and poets have turned to this form to help society collect its thoughts and decide on a course of action. Today we look at the essays of G. K. Chesterton. Prolific as a writer of novels and short stories as well as poetry he wrote some 4,000 essays, a few of which we have gathered here. G. K. Chesterton was born in Campden hill, Kensington on May 29th 1874. Originally after attending St Pauls School he went to Slade to learn the illustrators art and literature. In 1896 he joined a small London publisher and began his journalistic career as a freelance art and literary critic. In 1901 he married Frances Blogg, to whom he remained married for the rest of his life. Thereafter he obtained weekly columns in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. For many he is known as a very fine novelist and the creator of the Father Brown Detective stories which were much influenced by his own beliefs. A large man—6' 42 and 21st in weight he was apt to be forgetful in that delightful way that the British sometimes are—a telegram home to his wife saying he was in one place but where should he actually be. But he was prolific in many other areas; he wrote plays, essays, loved to debate and wrote hundreds of poems. But in this volume we concentrate on his essays collected together as "Alarms And Discursions". Chesterton died of congestive heart failure on 14th June 1936 and is buried in Beaconsfield just outside of London. Many of these essays are also available as an audiobook from our sister company Word Of Mouth as well of books of poems and short stories.