An appealing copy of this oft reprinted and charming work of Sketches of Little Girls, offering advice through tales of good and bad conduct. In the introduction, the author writes, ‘there was a great talk about a book that has lately made its appearance in the world, called “Sketches of Young Ladies”, which has become very popular, not only in London, but had found its way into every little town and village in the United Kingdom. But as it was intended principally for the grown-up young ladies, they kept it quite to themselves, so that the little misses could only get a peep now and then. Therefore, I thought it would be but fair that the little girls should have a book of their own, as well as their sisters; and I went home determined to do them justice, by dedicating a work to the “Little Ladies of Great Britain and Ireland;” taking my sketches from those who resided in my favourite village; for I am certain that no place affords a greater variety, or contains more interesting specimens of the juvenile community, than this; and I think it will be found that most little girls resemble one or the other of those I am about to describe’ (pp. 7-8). Curiously, a loosely inserted slip states that the book was given to “Fanny” by her father in 1851, who had bought it as a present on a trip to London to visit the Great Exhibition. The recipient, Francis Helen Bowey (1845-1921), has written her name on the front free endpaper. She was born in Wearmouth, County Durham, so aged six when gifted the book, and if the slip is to be further believed ‘noticed that the little girl called ‘Fanny’ in the book [In ‘The Thoughtless Little Girl’ p. 15] was not an ideal child & so she concluded that she must resemble the amiable “Ellen”’, thereby proving that the book was being to put to good use and achieving what it set out to do! The author, ‘Solomon Lovechild’, is often assumed the pseudonym of Miss Julia Corner (1798-1875), who initially wrote novels before venturing into juvenile works and a series of popular history books.