In an age of increasingly stressed-out, long, mundance working hours "The Importance of Being Idle" is a call to arms for would-be loafers everywhere to man their armchairs and turn their hands to absolutely nothings whatsoever. Offering inspirational advice, age-old proverbs, quotations and philosophical dialogues it argues that idling has a centrally important role to play in both civilization and our day-to-day physical well-being. Covering every aspect from ambition to afternoon tea, Buddhism to beds, capitalism to curiosity, death to doing nothing, employment to excuses, it highlights the wisdom of the great idlers across the centuries to help the novice idler while away the lazy hours.