Clearly, women were the audience for this particular work. Its associated "how to sell" pamphlet even assumes the book's agents to be women. The agent is warned to make certain that the work is not mistaken for a "medical book," which would dampen sales, but one that concerns "practical obstetrics," previously unavailable for purchase. Fitted into a pocket in the back of the canvassing book is a booklet of obstetric illustrations, separately printed so to be safe from a child's prying eyes.

Stowe's sketches, based on scriptural, historical, and legendary sources, was one of the best selling subscription books J. B. Ford published. In fact, once Stowe had added her titles to its list, the publisher, which had brought out books by various Beechers, advertised itself as "Printers and Publishers to the Beecher Family." The author of Uncle Tom's Cabin and her literary and religious writer-relatives constituted, all by themselves, a kind of "sub-market." Years later, when the market for Women in Sacred History seemed exhausted, Stowe condensed it. Renamed Bible Heroines, the book had a second life in the bookstores. The chromolithographs of the various heroines, based on paintings by notable artists, are all gathered at the beginning of this canvassing book. They would have been a major selling point, emphasized in the sales pitch to all interested parties.

Palmer Cox, an extremely popular writer of children's literature, was best known for The Brownies. Wee, fairy-like creatures that resembled little garden gnomes, his anthropomorphic creations received critical acclaim, as evidenced by the commendations printed in the canvassing book. The National Baptist proclaimed it "pure and healthful, besides being charmingly interesting and amusing." This example is one of only a few canvassing books in the Zinman Collection intended to sell only one children's title. Its publisher also issued this title as a set of "three volumes for the convenience of purchasers." The covers shown here are the covers for two of the volumes.