Coming from a prosperous London Quaker family, the author Priscilla Wakefield (1751 1832) wrote educational books for children, and one work for adults, Reflections on the Present Condition of the Female Sex (1798), also reissued in this series. This 1796 book on botany, a science which 'contributes to health of body and cheerfulness of disposition' but is difficult to study because of its Latin nomenclature and the cost of textbooks, offers a simple introduction for children through the medium of letters between sisters, as 'Felicia' shares with 'Constance' her growing understanding of plant...

In this 1798 work, Wakefield suggests ways for women without the support of husband or family to earn a living.