汉语中的“人文”意指人类社会的各种文化现象，语出《易·贲》：“文明以止，人文也。观乎天文，以察看时变；观乎人文，以化成天下。”在拉丁语中humanities主要指人性和教养．但随着人类文明史的延绵，人文在广义上不仅涉指社会现象和文化艺术。而且生成了包括哲学、经济学、政治学、史学、法学、文艺学、伦理学、语言学、文学等相对于自然科学的学科领域，称为人文学科。《英语人文读本·英国篇》并不收录人文学科的研究著述，也不是罗列或展示当今社会中的万千气象。该书旨在引领读者避开当下喧嚣和浮躁的氛围，进入一种冷静的人文思考。

本书收录的文章主题重经典意义和收藏价值。内容涉及伦理道德、宗教习俗、婚姻家庭、人际关系、大众文化、人文修养、心理健康、语言文学、经济政治、哲学美学等。写作体裁不限，包括议论文、散文、短篇自传、随笔、短篇小说等。每篇选文读来或是温馨甜蜜。或是发人深思，或是深情隽永，或是诙谐幽默，具有驱恶趋善，规谏或激励人生的精神作用。

1. The Beauty Industry

2. Meditation on the Moon

3. Punishment Never Cures Anything

4. Universities and Their Function

5. In July

6. On Book-Buying

7. What I Have Lived For

8. August

9. The Child Angel: A Dream

10. Insouciance

11. Of the Dignity or Meanness of Human Nature

12. Journey Through a Tunnel

13. Unworldliness of the Early Christians

14. Take Your Home into Your Own Hands

15. Of Boldness

16. Of Studies

17. Of Youth and Age

18. Of Wisdom for a Man's Self

19. My Life Is Over

20. Politics and the English Language

21. Getting Up on Cold Mornings

22. A Passion for Cities

23. First Snow

24. The Definition of a Gentleman

25. The Tapestry of Human Life

26. The Importance of One's Own Language

27. Good and Evil

28. About Books

29. A Treatise on Good Manners and Good Breeding

30. Thoughts in Westminster Abbey

31. The Artist and the World

32. Upon Affectation

33. Heine and the Philistines

34. National Prejudices

35. Conversation

36. On Idleness

37. Preface to His Dictionary

38. Companionship of Books

39. On Recollections of Childhood

40. The Romance of History

41. On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth

42. Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs

43. Her Own Village

44. The Faces of Buddha

45. An Afternoon Walk in October

46. On a Landscape of Nicholas Poussin

47. On Going a Journey

48. Lucidity, Simplicity, Euphony

49. Of Beauty, Fame, Longevity, etc.

50. The Philosopher

51. The Joys of Writing