British writer GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON (1874-1936) expounded prolifically about his wide-ranging philosophies-he is impossible to categorize as "liberal" or "conservative, " for instance-across a wide variety of avenues: he was a literary critic, historian, playwright, novelist, columnist, and poet. His witty, humorous style earned him the title of the "prince of paradox, " and his works-80 books and nearly 4, 000 essays-remain among the most beloved in the English language In this collection of twenty classic essays, first published in 1905, Chesterton cleverly and wisely develops his ideas about "heretics"-or those who have the great misfortune not to share his moderate outlook on the world. Essays include: . "On the Importance of Orthodoxy" . "On Mr. Rudyard Kipling and Making the World Small" . "Mr. Bernard Shaw" . "Mr. H. G. Wells and the Giants" . "Christmas and the Aesthetes" . "On Scandals and Simplicity" . "Science and the Savages" . "Celts and Celtophiles" . "On Smart Novelists and the Smart Set" . "On the Wit of [James McNeill] Whistler" . and others.