William Cobbett was one of the most influential men of his day, more or less despite of his personality. He is sadly forgotten today – but he is still entertaining.

Advice to Young Men is one of the less well known of Cobbett’s books. It was published in paperback in the eighties when there was a bit of a Cobbett revival, but aside from that it has rarely troubled the shelves of bookshops. It would be a stretch to say it is a forgotten classic,