The third pseudonymous work published in June 1844, Prefaces, was an approximately sixty-page collection of eight prefaces, itself prefaced and under the authorship of Nicolaus Notabene (Nicholas Mark Well). With the exception of the seventh chapter (preface), originally intended for Anxiety, none of the others was written to preface an actual publication, though the final chapter might have been intended as an unprefaced publication in its own right. What did Kierkegaard aim to achieve with this series of unaccompanied prefaces? Who were its addressees? The better question will prove to be, who were they aimed at?

Most of the materials existed in some form before Kierkegaard thought of compiling them under one cover. Whatever the original intentions, and however diverse, in their revision the texts were provided with a common though never directly named target, Heiberg. It was by all accounts the publication on 15 December 1843 of the 1844 edition of Heiberg's ornately bound ‘yearbook’, Urania, that prompted Kierkegaard to edit the existing material for inclusion in a single volume of essays. For publishers the traditional exchange of gifts during the Christmas and new year season was a high point for sales. Authors, naturally, were not unwilling to lend a hand. Kierkegaard would no doubt have disdained to participate in this practice, but there is no evidence that he had any strong feelings about it. Before now, that is.