One of the most important novelists of the early 19th century, Jane Austen (1775-1817) continues to be read and studied today. Throughout her novels, she creates characters who embody various virtues and limitations. The best characters represent the best behavior, just as the less admirable ones behave in less admirable ways. The courtesy books of the 18th century advise certain moral behavior for character development. This book studies Austen's parallels to 18th century courtesy books. Educational and recreational activities in Austen's novels, such as reading, dancing, card-playing, and theatre-going, are often similar to those activities recommended in the courtesy books with which Austen would have been familiar. So too, various social activities and personal characteristics depicted in Austen's novels frequently accord with courtesy book recommendations.

Proper behavior was of great concern to Austen's contemporaries. Throughout the 18th century, numerous courtesy books were written, advocating certain moral behavior for character development. Austen would have been familiar with these books, for they were influential during the late 18th century, when she grew up, and in the early 19th century, when her works were published.

Although Austen is known as a novelist of manners, surprisingly little work has been done to compare the manners recommended by the courtesy books of the time with the manners of the characters in her novels. This study demonstrates Austen's parallels with 18th century courtesy books in shaping her characters. Educational and recreational activities in her works are often similar to the activities recommended by the courtesy books of her time. So too, the social activities and personal characteristics she presents frequently accord with the recommendations of the courtesy books. Austen's reliance on courtesy books is of great importance, for scholars have generally held that her novels are reflective of the manners of the period. Without the documentation that this study provides, such assertions would remain empty of authority.

Angela Thirkell wrote more than 30 comic novels that spanned the period between 1930 and 1960 in England. Beginning in 1933, the books are set in Barsetshire as extensions of the seven Barsetshire novels of Anthony Trollope. In her works, Thirkell creates a world in which minor characters from one novel appear as major characters in another, and in which her various figures go to school, court, marry, give birth, bring up their children, retire, and die. The domestic concerns of her novels are set against a time of great stress for England, which witnessed World War II and its social and political aftermath. While her books highlight the pretensions and weaknesses of various groups in England, her humorous narratives constantly reflect a conservative social and political viewpoint. There are several strong themes that run throughout the Barsetshire novels, but two of the most notable are ethnicity and conventional marriage-oriented gender roles. Fritzer's book examines the importance of gender and ethnicity in Thirkell's Barsetshire novels and discusses how her characters convey conservative views within a comic world.

Thirkell repeatedly makes clear that England is best, and that it is better to be born English than to become British. Not many foreigners appear in the early books, and throughout, the ones who do are nearly all caricatures, from the arrogant French to the oblivious Americans. In her later works, foreigners appear more frequently and are treated with less disdain. Because her books concern the pairing off of couples, marriage and domesticity figure prominently in her works. Thirkell upholds the idea of conventional, marriage-oriented roles for both men and women, but she includes a benign acknowledgment of homosexuality. Casual sex and illegitimacy are generally reserved for the lower class. However, sexuality, for the most part, does not play a large role in the novels and pairings come about more often for reasons of suitability, affection, and financial stability. Few scholarly works have been written about Thirkell, though her novels are now experiencing a revival of interest. Because gender and ethnicity are central to many contemporary debates, Fritzer's book is a valuable guide to Thirkell's relevance to modern audiences.

This essential overview gives teachers all the content knowledge they need to teach social studies. A great supplement for students who need to prepare for teacher certification content exams, this concise yet comprehensive reference book provides all of the necessary elementary school content information on history, geography, economics, and government. It is a must-have for all pre-service and in-service elementary and middle school teachers who may not be experts in the field of social studies. The history chapter is arranged chronologically within regions of the world and covers early humans through the twenty-first century. The book ends with substantial resource lists for teachers and students, as well as a thorough index. Noteworthy features of the book include:

• Provides valuable resources for planning content lessons
• Updates the Internet resources for each content area for easily researched and accurate information
• Gives teachers at-a-glance social studies information in the user-friendly and complete index
• ""Educational Resources"" for each content area, located at the end of each chapter, provide pedagogical grounding for the content covered in the chapter.
• ""Student Resources"" at the end of each content chapter offer suggestions for further research.

Penelope Fritzer is a former public school teacher who is an Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University. She earned a B. A. in History at Connecticut College, a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in English at Florida Atlantic University, and the Ph.D. in English at the University of Miami. She is the author of numerous articles on education and many books, including "Math Content forElementary and Middle School Teachers "and "Science Content for Elementary and Middle School Teachers," both from Allyn & Bacon. Ernest Andrew Brewer is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University. He earned a B.A. and an M.E. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida, Orlando. He has written many articles on social studies education in the elementary schools. He is a member of the American Bar Association and was a nominee for the national Sallie Mae Award for Outstanding First Year Teacher in 1995.