Books about trades or occupations began to be offered to children from about the late 18th century, although their origins can also be seen in battledores (alphabet sheets) or chapbooks of street cries. Illustration always enhanced description of trades and considerable detail could was sometimes provided in describing unfamiliar situations, such as foundries and factories, to middle-class children.

Griffith and Farran, publishers, commissioned a series of 'histories' of familiar objects, among them the gold coin, the cup of tea and sugar. William Newman produced these and in his book about the gold coin used simple rhymes and detailed illustrations to describe the processes from panning or digging for gold to the final production of the coin.

Johann Amos Comenius could perhaps be considered to have been the first to describe trades for children in his Orbis Pictus Sensualium, first published in 1658. His bilingual text, in German and Latin, showed the world around including farms, orchards and various trades with the elements within the illustrations numbered and named. His book was rapidly re-published in other languages including an English/Latin edition in 1705.

Hindley, Charles. A history of the cries of London, ancient and modern, [Woodcuts by Thomas & John Bewick and their pupils, &c.] London: C. Hindley, 1881

Jakubec, Jan. Johannes Amos Comenius, New York: Arno Press, 1971

Muir, Percy H. English children's books, 1600 to 1900, London: Batsford, [1954]

Whalley, Joyce Irene. Cobwebs to catch flies: illustrated books for the nursery and schoolroom, 1700-1900, London: Elek, 1974 [Chapter 9: Street cries and occupations]