author
James Nelson
1710–1794
An 18th-century London apothecary, he wrote one of the best-known early English guides to raising children. His work mixed practical health advice with ideas about manners and education, giving modern listeners a vivid glimpse of family life in his time.
1 Audiobook
About the author
James Nelson was an English apothecary and author, born in 1710 and active for about fifty years in Red Lion Square, Holborn, London. Contemporary and later reference sources remember him as a familiar figure in literary circles as well as a medical practitioner.
He is best known for An Essay on the Government of Children under three general heads: Health, Manners, and Education, first published in 1753. The book brought together advice on children's health, behavior, and upbringing, and was praised for challenging some of the mistaken ideas of its day.
Nelson also wrote The Affectionate Father, a sentimental Comedy; together with Essays on Various Subjects (1786), a work that used drama and essays to teach moral lessons. Although relatively little seems to be known about his personal life, his writings helped preserve his reputation as a thoughtful early voice on child welfare and family education.