Conduct book

Conduct books are a genre of books that attempt to educate the reader on social norms. As a genre, they began in the mid-to-late Middle Ages, although antecedents such as The Maxims of Ptahhotep (c. 2350 BC) are among the earliest surviving works. Conduct books remained popular through the 18th century, although they gradually declined with the advent of the novel.

See also

• Courtesy book
• Mirrors for princes
• Nasîhatnâme
• Self-help
• Wisdom literature

References

• Literary Encyclopedia: Conduct Book
• Review of The Crisis of Courtesy: Studies in the Conduct-Book in Britain, 1600-1900 by Jacques Carre

Publications

• A Collection of Conduct Books for Girls and Boys in 19th century America in 5 vols., edited by Toshiko Nonomura. ISBN 978-4-86166-044-3