This is a collection of New England women's letters, many of whom worked in the mills and factories of the region. The letters give the reader a little peek into both the rural life for young women of this era, but also the urban life of the mill workers. It also portrays the broad kinship ties these women had with one another, and with their extended families. Dublin, a social historian now teaching at SUNY Binghamton, provides a readable, thorough introduction, footnotes and an afterward which enhances one's reading. I love this stuff. ( )