Desultory Remarks has fifteen treatises:

• Calligraphy and books

• Rubbings

• Paintings

• Paper

• Ink

• Brushes

• Inkstones

• Zithers

• Incense

• Tea

• Potted plants

• Fish and birds

• Mountain studio

• Necessities of life and dress

• Utensils of the studio

Art historian Craig Clunas suggests that the Desultory Remarks is essentially a compendium on the art of living gathered from various other existing sources, such as Gao Lian's Eight Treatises on the Nurturing of Life, (for which Tu Long wrote a preface). Whether or not this is the case, Tu Long's discourses certainly had greater immediate recognition and influence; they were much more widely cited in later collections, and were a primary source for Wen Zhenheng's Treatise of Superfluous Things.

《考槃餘事》分十五箋

• 書箋：論書，刻地，印書，藏書，觀書等。

• 帖箋：古今帖辨，戲魚堂帖，二王帖，西嶽華山廟碑，王渙之陀羅尼經，開元寺碑，真書千文，閱古堂記等。

• 畫箋：古畫，唐畫，宋畫，元畫，國朝畫家，看畫法，學畫，裱畫，挂畫等。

• 紙箋：唐紙，宋紙，元紙，國朝紙，高麗紙，染宋箋法，造松信箋等。

• 墨箋：論墨，古制墨法，朱萬初墨。

• 筆箋：筆法，毫，管，式，工，藏，滌，筆經等。

• 琴箋：論琴，古琴色，古琴紋，古琴灰，古琴材，琴徽，琴弦，琴台，琴室，唐琴，宋琴，元琴，國朝琴等。

• 香箋：論香，角沉香，片速香，降真香，蘭香，黑蕓香，香爐，香盒，香盤等。

• 茶箋：茶品，虎丘，天池，六安，龍井，天目，採茶，日曬茶，花茶，江水，井水，丹泉，洗茶，茶具等。

• 盆玩箋：盆玩，瓶花，擬花榮辱。

• 魚鶴箋：鶴品，金魚品。

• 山齋箋：山齋，藥室，花榭，佛堂，茶寮等。

• 起居器服箋：榻，短榻，神椅，坐團，被，帳，禪衣，道服，冠，道扇，披雲巾等。

• 文房器具箋：筆格，硯山，筆床，筆筒，硯匣，墨匣，印章，印色池，鎮紙，壓尺，裁刀，剪刀等。

• 游具箋：魚竿，舟，葫蘆，提盒，酒樽等。

曾任英國維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館遠東館館長的柯律格（Craig Clunas），在研究明代屠隆的《考槃餘事》及其同時代人高濂《遵生八箋》和稍後文震亨《長物志》等書後，認為屠隆的《考槃餘事》可等輯錄自《遵生八箋》，但屠隆此書，無論在當代和後世，影響都比較深遠，此書可能是《長物志》材料來源之一。