At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays

In this collection of familiar essays, Anne Fadiman revives a classic literary form to examine the intersection between private habits and the external world. She writes about her personal obsessions with polar exploration, lepidoptery, and the intricate history of coffee, connecting these specific interests to broader cultural narratives. Each piece functions as a blend of memoir and research, detailing her experiences with cold-weather survivalism, the nocturnal habits of Coleridge, and the peculiarities of seventeenth-century collectors. The text focuses on the small details of domestic life, such as the arrangement of a nightstand or the chemical properties of an ice cream sundae, to reveal the author’s intellectual lineage.

This book is for readers who value precise language and the historical anecdote. It appeals to those who enjoy learning about the eccentricities of famous writers or the scientific classifications of insects through a personal lens. A reader walks away with a deeper knowledge of the history of everyday objects and a renewed appreciation for the subjective, first-person perspective in nonfiction. Those interested in the technical craft of the essay will find specific examples of how to balance autobiography with rigorous, scholarly observation.