Hebel developed a pithy, spontaneous style for these stories which he originally wrote for inclusion in a popular almanac. Dipping into The Treasure Chest readers will find jokes, comic anecdotes, sensational murder stories, reports of disasters and mysteries, moral tales and others celebrating the triumph of ingenuity and cunning. While Hebel had to cater for a vast diversity of tastes, the hallmarks of his anecdotes and curiosities are their support for the 'little man', their sanity, wit and good humour. The Treasure Chest is an enduringly popular classic of German literature, and has drawn generations of admirers including Goethe, Tolstoy and Wittgenstein. Kafka habitually carried a volume of Hebel's stories in his pocket and regarded one of them - 'Unexpected Reunion' - as 'the most wonderful story in the world'. More recently Herman Hesse has described The Treasure Chest as 'a summit and jewel of German narrative prose'.