"Stories for the Young; Or, Cheap Repository Tracts" by Hannah More is a collection of moral and religious tracts published between 1795 and 1817. Devised as an alternative to what More considered immoral popular literature, these simple tales and ballads aimed to instruct the literate poor in virtues like honesty, industry, and acceptance of social station while warning against drunkenness, gambling, and idleness. The tracts achieved remarkable success, selling over two million copies in their first year and sparking a widespread movement of moral reform through accessible, affordable literature. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.