The essays take the form of a chiefly one-sided dialogue between the unnamed Author and the other residents of a New England boarding house who are known only by their profession, location at the table, or other defining characteristics.

The topics discussed range from an essay on the unexpected benefits of old age to the finest place to site a dwelling to comments on the nature of conversation itself.

[3] For its first issue, Holmes published new versions of his prior essays based on fictionalized breakfast table talk and including poetry, stories, jokes and songs.

[6] The original "Autocrat" of the first series dies and is replaced by a physician who trained in Paris who is also a faculty member of a well-known medical school in the sequel.

[10] Holmes's essays were well received by critics and readers alike and their inclusion in The Atlantic Monthly in 1857 helped secure that magazine's early success.