Three books of valuable advice
By
Eliza Haywood
Comprising
A Present for a Servant Maid (1743)
The Wife (1756)
The Husband (1756)
Eliza Haywood was an English writer, actress and
publisher. Described as "prolific even by the standards of a prolific
age", Haywood wrote and published over 70 works in her lifetime, including
fiction, drama, translations, poetry, and miscellaneous works – anything which
would bring in a few guineas. She also wrote works of advice on how to conduct
oneself according to one's condition of life, a genre very popular at the time.
These afford a fascinating glimpse into the conventions of those times, so
different to our own. Some of these would make you laugh out loud,
others would make you thankful you do not live in those times.
