Four occurrences pervade this new collection of letters: the decline and death of Thomas Carlyle's mother; Thomas's continued research of Frederick the Great; the Carlyles's struggle against the perpetual irritation of urban noise, particularly roosters, which led to the construction of a soundproof room; and the Carlyles' introduction to Talbotypes, an early form of photography. While domestic concerns pervade the volume, it also provides the usual insight into societal and political culture of the 1850s through the couple's interaction with influential figures, including Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Delia Bacon.