Synopses & Reviews
A popular genre from colonial times to 1900, the conduct book provides the youthful reader with authoritative guidance about right moral, religious, and gender role behavior. With the aim of teaching the young what they need to know--and believe--about society's expectations for the ideal young man and woman, the genre codified "true" American manhood and womanhood. This guide provides an analytic and historical overview of the conduct book and its cultural work in America. With an annotated bibliography of over 500 books, it provides easy and direct access to conduct books for adults of each sex and for children.
Review
...deserves the attention of students and scholars in many diverse fields. Newton prefaces this bibliography with three extensive, detailed essays that provide an excellent introduction and assessment of the concept of the conduct book. The author's essays and source materials raise many tantalizing questions about a genre that deserves further study. This bibliography certainly will serve as a valuable point for such study.Choice
Review
...a useful starting point for scholars who wish to explore this world further.History of Education Quarterly
Synopsis
Provides a guide to and bibliography of the American conduct book, a genre that legitimized society's ideal for ``true manhood and womanhood from colonial times through the 19th century.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Conduct Books for Children
Conduct Books for Men
Conduct Books for Women
Notes
The Bibliography
Selected Secondary Bibliography
Index