Inspired by the library archive of an 18th century nursery teacher, this is a collection of essays on the nature of childhood, learning, and the role of women educators, in English cultural life from the 1700s onwards. 'The quality of the chapters is uniformly high, and they are wide-ranging, interesting and informative. This is a very successful book, packed with insight...' - The National Literacy Trust's 1997 International Annotated Bibliography of Books on Literacy.