Zweig's autobiography, The World of Yesterday, preserves not only the memories of Zweig's life, but the memories of the cultural era, from the end of the 19th century to the onset of WWII. Zweig describes his days as a young boy, his experiences as a student, and the support he received from Theodore Herzl as a young and promising writer. Zweig does not only glorify this era, but expressly points out its drawbacks.

The typescript of the book in the NLI is the only existing copy which is intact. It also contains corrections made by Zweig's wife, Lotte. The copy was donated to the NLI by the translator of Zweig's works into Spanish, Alfredo Cahn, who lives in Argentina.