Edgeworth, Maria. Moral Tales for Young People.New York: George Long, 1821.
It is always gratifying to discover another edition of Maria Edgeworth’s popular Moral Tales that is new to AAS. George Long (1771?-1843) produced a steady output of textbooks and children’s books, many of which were written by British and European authors, including Miss Edgeworth. Interestingly, this title page vignette features a woman writer at her desk (perhaps Miss Edgeworth), while two children (perhaps her younger siblings) eagerly reading a book (perhaps what she has published)–adding a visual reinforcement of the female author’s “natural” role as moral writer for child readers.
