THE SIZE OF THOUGHTS brings together over a decade's worth of Baker's essays and journalism. His subjects range from extinct forms of punctuation to the tribulations of reading aloud; from the contemplation of the unbuilt model airplane to the mechanics of changing one's mind. It also includes a new, long and previously unpublished essay on the vagaries of scholarship and bookish pedantry centering on the word 'lumber'. Throughout, his exquisite and playful use of language make this collection a delight.