Well before the nineteenth century, advice literature or conduct books were among the commonest books to be found in households as such they constitute a prime source for research into period in which they were produced and used. Conduct literature aims at defining and prescribing the relative roles and duties of men and women, and developing boys and girls. Covering manners and morals, questions of household management and advice on what to read, children's education and the treatment of servants, dealing with fashion and leisure as well as with religious meditation and sexual conduct, conduct books shifts in the cultural perception of the modern individual. As is increasingly recognized, they thus have a great research interest for anyone reconstructing and exploring the cultural formation of national, class and gender identities. In particular, they reflect changing precepts of behavior for men and women as conflicting religious ideologies and the rise of capitalism made their impact on the formation of civic society and the modern family unit.

Relatively scarce in the early years of the United States, moral tales were increasingly popular in the nineteenth century (see Introduction). Frequently based on a line of scripture of a moral precept, these works functioned to convey the ideals of virtuous conduct (obedience, forgiveness, and responsibility) through narrative means. In this sense, they are companions to conduct literature. Stories appealed to children through imaginative and emotional identification in a way, frequently representing scenes of piety and conversion. Most denominations tailored these stories to suit their own doctrinal needs.