This excerpt from Dorothy Fremont Grant’s So! You Want to Get Married! is truly a fine example of the ludicrous nature of these old books that I spend my time sharing with you. Don’t you just love it? And aren’t you glad all these years have passed? 1947: A Mysterious Power Girls early come to the […]
How to Invite Somebody to Bed
This selection is from a gift to the collection from a charming friend of mine who is otherwise known as the “king of the nap.” This fabulous book is titled Bed Manners, and Better Bed Manners. The cover claims that the book will tell you “how to bring sunshine into your nights,” and proclaims to have […]
Lures Men Can’t Resist
“Her style is eminently readable, and she writes simply and sincerely, utterly without cheap sentimentality,” the flap copy says of Dorothy Dix, author of How to Win and Hold a Husband. This book includes such informative chapters as “What a Man Looks For in a Wife,” “It Pays to Be a Mystery,” and “The Cost of […]
He’s As Dull As My Grandpa’s Dentures!
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My beautiful, creative, talented, cool friend is engaged to a perfectly gross man. Not only is he as dull as my grandpa’s dentures, he’s also kind of a jerk. Should I tell her how I feel about him? How do I avoid him without dumping her? Your fan, Irritated with Her […]
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Q Dear Miss Abigail: How do you accept the pain and heartbreak of unrequited love? Sad A Dear Sad: It will be hard at first but I’m certain you will get over the loss. Stay strong and lift your head high! This, from Debbie Reynolds’s If I Knew Then (1962), is a good reminder of what’s […]
I ~Heart~ My P. E. Teacher!
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I am in love with my P.E. teacher. What do I do? I mean I look into his eyes and he kind of looks into mine. To me he would stop traffic. Signed, Lovey A Dear Lovey: He can stop all the traffic he wants, but unfortunately he’s out of bounds […]
Fifty-Six + Nineteen = Trouble
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Well, here is one for you. I am a fifty-six-year-young man in good shape. I lift weights and run to mention a few things, and do them because they are fun for me, not for vain reasons. Yesterday at our library a nineteen-year-old girl gave me a look that just said […]
Why Didn’t I Hear from Him Again?
We turn, once again, to one of my favorite books: Nina Farewell’s The Unfair Sex. This book is packed full of advice about both the good and bad of men and relationships. After reading so many disgustingly positive accounts of dating, isn’t it refreshing to see some reality? 1953: Why Didn’t I Hear from Him Again? […]
I Can’t Get Over Him
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I just broke up with my boyfriend and I can’t get over him. What should I do? Signed, Crissy A Dear Crissy: My brother has a theory: the amount of time you need to get over someone is as long as you dated. Went out six months? Be prepared to be […]
That Vicious Dumping Cycle
Q Dear Miss Abigail: How do I stay in a relationship? I always seem to get bored or frustrated with the person I’m seeing so I break up with them!!! Signed, Sick of dumping! A Dear Sick of Dumping: This little excerpt is from William J. Robinson’s Sexual Problems of To-Day (with “today” being 1921, of […]