The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858) is a collection of essays written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. originally published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1857 and 1858. The author had written two essays with the same name which were published in the earlier The New England Magazine in November 1831 and February 1832, which are alluded to in a mention of an "interruption" at the start of the very first essay. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... An essay is a short work that treats a topic from an authors personal point of view, often taking into account subjective experiences and personal reflections upon them. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. ... February 1862 edition of The Atlantic Monthly, with The Battle Hymn of the Republic on the front page. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Leopold I 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

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 characteristic. The topics discussed range from an essay on the unexpected benefits of old age to the finest place to site a dwelling and comments on the nature of conversation itself. The tone of the book is distinctly Yankee and takes a seriocomic approach to the subject matter. This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... A boarding house can also be called a Rooming house (mainly in the United states) or a Lodging house. It is a house (often a family home) in which holiday-makers (people on vacation in American English) or lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and... The term Yankee has a variety of meanings. ...

As befits Holmes' reputation as one of America's finest poets, each essay typically ends with a poem on the theme of the essay. There are also poems ostensibly written by the fictional disputants scattered throughout.

The Breakfast-Table Series

In addition to Autocrat, there are two further volumes in the series drawing on later essays along similar themes. They are, respectively, The Professor of the Breakfast-Table and The Poet at the Breakfast-Table.

Influences

• P. J. O'Rourke took inspiration from Autocrat in writing The CEO of the Sofa