Bessie Rayner Parkes

Reprint of the original, first published in 1866.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1866.

Title: A Passing World. Miscellaneous essays.]Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The FICTION & PROSE LITERATURE collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The collection provides readers with a perspective of the world from some of the 18th and 19th century's most talented writers. Written for a range of audiences, these works are a treasure for any curious reader looking to see the world through the eyes of ages past. Beyond the main body of works the collection also includes song-books, comedy, and works of satire. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Parkes, Bessie Rayner; 1897. 304 p.; 8 . 012625.i.21.

Bessie Rayner Parkes (1829–1925) was an English poet, writer and prominent early feminist best known for her campaigns for women's right to work and receive professional training. After meeting fellow feminist activist Barbara Bodichon (1827–1891) they founded the first English feminist journal, The English Woman's Review in 1858. Parkes served as its principal editor between 1858–1864. This volume, first published in 1865 and containing several essays from The English Woman's Review, advocates for young middle-class women to be given the opportunity to work and earn a living in safe conditions with fair pay. Parkes links the changes in society caused by the Industrial Revolution to the need for women to work. Her reassurance that married women should still be supported by their husbands illustrates how Parkes, like other contemporary feminists, worked within the contemporary social framework and used existing social norms to justify her aims.