Don'ts for Husbands, Don'ts for Wives - Book Review

   





















Don'ts for Husbands, Don'ts for Wives - 1913 Edition by Blanche Ebbutt

The best single word I can use to describe this book is "charming".  The title alone makes me smile,  and the content at times has had me laughing out loud.  Although it was written 100 years ago, most of the advice it contains is timeless... (Some of the other advice.... not so much. But the outdated stuff is actually hilarious and probably my favorite lines in the book =)

I first saw this book in the form of two separate books in a bookstore in Scotland.  I was quite tempted to purchase them, but my suitcase was already jammed full and heavy, so I resisted.  Once I got home, I searched online, and found this single volume that contains the content of both books.

The entire book is written as a list of "Don'ts", categorized by topic.
Here are a few sample pieces of advice for husbands:
* "Don't slouch. No one who cares for a man likes to see him acquiring a slouching habit."
* "Don't begin your married life by expecting too much. If you expect little, you will be saved a good deal of disappointment."
* "Don't say anything to your children that may tend in any way to lower their estimation of their mother."
* "Don't delegate the carving to your wife on the plea that you 'can't' carve. You should be ashamed to own that you can't do a little thing like that as well as a woman can. It is just laziness on your part. Besides a man ought to take the head of his own table."

It's been fun reading these out loud to my husband! There's something less threatening about hearing Blanche tell him how to behave properly.

Now a few "Don'ts" for wives:
* "Don't keep your sweetest smiles and your best manners for outsiders; let your husband come first."
* "Don't check your husband's high spirits. Let him sing at the top of his voice in the bathroom, or whistle out of tune on the stairs, and be thankful for a cheerful man about the house."
* "Don't forget to 'feed the brute' well. Much depends on the state of his digestion."

There are hundreds more! Advice on personal habits, finances, household matters, recreation, children and several other topics will remind you that true wisdom never goes out of date.  Check it out at Amazon.com.