Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education: Volume 1: With a View of the Principles and Conduct Prevalent among Women of Rank and Fortune

by Hannah More

A unique and influential public figure in her time, Hannah More (1745–1833) was a prolific writer. This two-volume study, published in 1799, is her definitive work on women's education, which went through thirteen editions by 1826 and sold over 19,000 copies. The work outlines More's belief that women's education and conduct determined the moral state of a nation, reflecting her acceptance of eighteenth-century views on the status and education of women. In Volume 1, a heavy emphasis is placed on the need for women to observe propriety, and More argues that women should seek to acquire knowledge and discipline rather than accomplishments. The modern reader will find More's conservative stance on women's rights a fascinating contrast to more liberal works of the age, including Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women. For more information on this author, see

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1799

About the author

Hannah More was an English religious writer and philanthropist. She can be said to have made three reputations in the course of her long life: as a clever verse-writer and witty talker in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, as a writer on moral and religious subjects on the Puritanic side, and as a practical philanthropist.