By the 19th century, the simple, humorous stories that Johann Peter Hebel (1760-1826) published over the years in the Rhenisch Fireside Companion almanac had become one of the most popular prose collections in German folk literature. These short stories, anecdotes and farces are firmly anchored in the current affairs context of their day, and show an impressive emotional depth as well as subtle wisdom and hearty humour. No wonder then, that the “Treasure Chest” was the favourite book of such significant thinkers and poets as Franz Kafka or Elias Canetti.