The epistles in this volume deal with life and death, pleasure and pain, and the diversity of languages. Written in a lively and genial style, they are less technical than other epistles in the Rasa'il. While drawing on antiquity and early Islamic teachings, they are often playful, enlivening their arguments with fables and parables.

The epistles in this volume deal with life and death, pleasure and pain, and the diversity of languages. Written in a lively and genial style, they are less technical than other epistles in the Ras¿'il. While drawing on antiquity and early Islamic teachings, they are often playful, enlivening their arguments with fables and parables.

What is also useful are Ormsby's comments on how he set about translating each of this epistles, balancing readability, accuracy, literal rendition, and technical communication.