Doings of the Bodley Family in Town and Country, ; and The Bodleys Telling Stories

Written by Horace Elisha Scudder and published in the late 19th century by Houghton, Osgood and Company, these volumes were part of the popular Bodley series that introduced American children to travel, history, and domestic life. Scudder, an influential editor and writer of juvenile literature, designed these books to be educational yet engaging, blending factual descriptions of American locales with a narrative structure centered on the lives of the Bodley family members.

The books are notable for their lavish illustrations and decorative bindings, which reflected the Victorian-era trend of producing high-quality, visually appealing gift books for the middle-class nursery. The design often featured vignettes and detailed engravings that helped popularize the series, and they were well-received by contemporary critics and parents who sought wholesome, informative reading material that emphasized traditional family values and curiosity about the wider world.