''The Parent's Assistant'' is the first collection of children's stories by

Maria Edgeworth Maria Edgeworth (1 January 1768 – 22 May 1849) was a prolific Anglo-Irish novelist of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and was a significant figure in the evolution of the n ...

, published by

Joseph Johnson Joseph Johnson may refer to: Entertainment *Joseph McMillan Johnson (1912–1990), American film art director *Smokey Johnson (1936–2015), New Orleans jazz musician * N.O. Joe (Joseph Johnson, born 1975), American musician, producer and songwrit ...

in 1796.

The first edition (Part I) had five stories: ''Lazy Lawrence'', ''Tarlton'', ''The Little Dog Trusty,'' ''The Orange Man'' and ''The False Key''. ''

Barring Out Barring out is the former custom in English schools of barring a schoolmaster from the premises. A typical example of this practice was at the school in Bromfield, Cumbria, where it was the custom "for the scholars, at Fasting's Even (the beginni ...

'' was included in the second edition of Part I published the same year. In later editions more material was added, most notably, "

The Purple Jar "The Purple Jar" is a well-known short story by Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849), an Anglo-Irish writer of novels and stories. "The Purple Jar" first was published in ''The Parent's Assistant'' (1796) and reappeared in ''Rosamond'' (1801). Edgeworth's ...

", and a play for children, ''Old Poz''. The 1865 American edition contained the following stories: "Lazy Lawrence", "Tarlton", "The False Key", "The Birthday Present", "Simple Susan", "The Bracelets", "The Little Merchants", "Old Poz", "The Mimic", "Mademoiselle Panache", "The Basket Woman", "The White Pigeon", "The Orphans", "Waste Not, Want Not", "Forgive and Forget", "The Barring Out, or Party Spirit", and "Eton Montem".

Influence

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

was reading ''The Parent's Assistant'' in 1837, just three months before her coronation. She recalls reading "The Birthday Present" in "Miss Edgeworth's inimitable and delightful ''Parent's Assistant''" while doing her hair. The collection is also mentioned in

William Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel '' Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...

's novel ''Vanity Fair'' and is mentioned in

Eight Cousins ''Eight Cousins, or The Aunt-Hill'' was published in 1875 by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. It is the story of Rose Campbell, a lonely and sickly girl who has been recently orphaned and must now reside with her maiden great aunts (yet having ...

also.

Notes

References

* Carpenter, Humphrey and Mari Prichard. ''Oxford Companion to Children's Literature''. Oxford University Press, 1997. * Zipes, Jack (ed) et al. ''The Norton Anthology of Children's Literature: The Traditions in English.'' W. W. Norton, 2005. * Zipes, Jack (ed.). ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Volumes 1-4''. Oxford University Press, 2006. * Watson, Victor, ''The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English''. Cambridge University Press, 2001. * Demmers, Patricia (ed). ''From Instruction to Delight: An Anthology of Children's Literature to 1850'', Oxford University Press, 2003.
Table of Contents
384 pages. . * St. John, Judith. ''The Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, 1566-1910, A Catalogue'', Toronto Public Library.

External links

* Search publishing histories
Copac: Academic & National Library Catalogue
at the University of Manchester. * Another website
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Library of Congress Online Catalog
* Search
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections

at the University of Toronto. {{DEFAULTSORT:Parents Assistant, The 1796 short story collections 1790s children's books Children's short story collections Irish short story collections 18th-century British children's literature