The "Studies' deal mainly with Y. L. Peretz's life and work until 1878, the date to which the latest parts of the Unknown Manuscript belong. Peretz's background is outlined in chapters dealing with the political, economic and cultural conditions in which he lived, with the character of his native town, and with his family. The meagre sources for this period of Peretz's biography are scrutinized. They are supplemented by details drawn from allusions dispersed in his writings (and particularly in the Unknown Manuscript), and verified with the help of external sources. An attempt is made to fix the dates of the principal events in Peretz's life and of his writings. Solutions are offered to several intricate problems, as for instances the ownership of a library which greatly stimulated young Peretz's intellectual development (Chapter 7); the "brewery episode" (Chapter 11); the authorship of "A Letter from Asmodeus" (Chapter 16); the meaning of the signatures and the authorship of the poems included in a book published jointly by Peretz and G. Y. Lichtenfeld, and also the origin of the "first edition" of this book (Chapter 17). A period in Peretz's life (l870-1875/6), about which very little was known is dealt with, systematically for the first time (Chapter 11). Peretz's life and his works up to 1878 are discussed in great detail. His views on% many problems, his relations with his family, friends and writers, the various influences on his works, and so one are often followed beyond 1878. A detailed survey of the Unknown Manuscript constitutes the last part of the "Studien". A great deal of the Manuscript is given in an English rendering and the rest is summarized. Explanatory notes and discussion are attached to each item. The Unknown Manuscript, first identified by the writer of these lines, contributes a great deal to our knowledge of Peretz's life, views and literary evolution during the period 1873-1878. An additional chapter briefly surveys Peretz's life and work after 1878.