Household Education

Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard, 1849. Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) has been called "the first female sociologist." Her 1837 study, "Society in America," which contains a critique of the state of female education, is considered foundational. She was certainly a prominent Victorian public intellectual, friend to J.S. Mill, George Elliot, Carlyle, H.H. Millman, and Bulmer-Lytton. She wrote on history and travel, and translated Comte. She was an activist, and her support for abolition made her unpopular in America. An atheist and in poor health, she had a fascination with Mesmerism. Supposedly, she dated Erasmus Darwin. While not a modern Feminist, she was concerned that women were wasting their talents; she looked to freedom and rationality as goals. This is a Very Good copy of the First American Edition, rather surprisingly scarce. Dark brown cloth binding, decoratively stamped on the covers and spine; gilt titling on the spine. Clean text; 212 pages. In the rear is a 32-page publisher's catalog, complete with two engravings. The text is spotted but remains clear to read. Contemporary signature on the Title Page. Rubbed at the margins, with chips at both head and foot of spine. Despite these issues, Quercus finds it an attractive as well as an influential book by an important proto-Feminist writer. . First American Edition.. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall.