This remarkable book includes essays dealing with various concepts of time which have been presented throughout history including Borges' own New Refutation of Time. Another general thought common to several essays is that of the profound unity of ideas as they are expressed and re-expressed in the written word. We also find a justification for suicide (The Biathanatos); a proposed universal language (The Analytical Language of John Wilkins); the development of language from oral to written communication (On the Cult of Books); and the modern-day subjects of revolution and fascism (Two Books).