July 22nd, 2010
The Canadian Bride’s Reference Book
My mom is one of my favourite people, especially because she enables my accumulating vintage books and housewares. This spring she lent me one of my favourite items yet, The Canadian Bride’s Reference Book that was given to my grandmother when she got married.
I love the etiquette notes and vintage ads the best.
Relationship Advice from the 1930s:
“Above all, do not run off and tell anyone about a difference of opinion between you and your husband – do not take it seriously. Don’t forget to smile. Kindness, patience, good temper, and good sense will always win and they build that trust and love that endures when everything else passes away. Avoid the first quarrel. Don’t have it. Do not quarrel. Stay away from it, he means well and so do you.”
It’s packed full of recipes for drinks, doughnuts and five course meals. There’s a guide on how to tell what kind of man your husband is, instructions on how to manage your household budget, and charts on how much sunshine your baby should get in a day.
I love flipping through it, but all I can say is thank goodness for the internet age. I don’t think I’d last an afternoon in this world ;)
That is lovely. I have to agree that I am so happy to be living in the 21st century, though, but it must be so lovely to have this book just to browse and look back at what married life used to be like back then.
P.S. Expect quite a few comments from me in the next hour or so. I have twenty posts of yours to catch up with. (I know!)
What an amazing treasure! I always love those ladies manuals on how to keep your husband happy and keep a home the right way. I’m so glad we don’t live in that world anymore, but it’s always fun to marvel at how much things have changed!
P.S. When I Googled it, you were the first link that came up. Imagine that!
That book is seriously the bees knees.
This is the cutest book ever! The relationship quote is so true and perfect.
Oooh, I’m so interested in reading this book to see what kind of advice they gave back then. This sounds just like my Grandma though…. her upbeat & positive attitude and always wanting to treat everyone the way she would want to be treated no matter what.
I was recently looking through a children’s cookbook that I’ve always loved, and hadn’t remembered that in between all of the recipes there were instructions on etiquette for little girls. For example, along with the recipe for hot coco the book recommends that the little girl reading the cookbook serve hot coco to her best friend at a sleepover right before bedtime. While drinking the hot coco, the girls should talk about the houses they want to live in when they grow up.
The sweetness of such idealism intrigues me… however, I don’t think anyone can live like that – even the women of that time, which is why everyone drank so heavily. ;) It’s such a hard standard to live up to! These days it’s a lot easier, but a little too much I think. There needs to be a middle ground – housemaking is an art & should be appreciated as such. Just my .02 :)
That sounds like such a cool book! What an amazing score, three cheers for your Mum! :D
I love old books! They make me so giddy!!! I just want to go buy all them at the used bookstore. And thats another thing, for me used books > new books. They just come with this unwritten legacy. I love it. :)
It’s funny to read the comments because I was more like, “Ah…to live in a time like that.” Haha…really, I should’ve been born in the 1800s. I’m positive of it. I like the tips in the book, old-fashioned they may be. They still are solid. :)
I would love to see that book! Old books are so fun sometimes.
Ha! I always think these are so ridiculous. Pretty to look at, but ridiculous nonetheless :)
Oh wow! That’s one pretty hard-core amazing book! What a great find too…that’s so amazing that your family has held onto this too. I especially love the “do not quarrel” part. =)
That is awesome! I love little books like this. Priceless. But yes, thank God things have progressed since then!
What a treasure!!! I love windows into the past. It gives such perspective on the life and times of previous generations and how they grew up!
too funny! I feel like there should be a stylized “or else … ” after the “GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY”
I love love love books like these! They’re hilarious & almost surreal to read through. :]
This is way too cool! It’s funny because I find that when I’m thrifting or going to garage sales I can’t help but be drawn to old history books or books like these. It’s just so fascinating to see how things were! I know I wouldn’t have lasted very long in that world, that’s for sure :)
Wow, what a special keepsake!
However, it’s amazing to think that only two generations ago, relationships and marriages were so much different from today’s, how much different expectations were for women.
Thanks for sharing this!
P.S. When my Granddad died a few months ago, we went through his house to make sure we’d get all his personal belongings. We found a scrapbook that my Grandma (who died 25 years ago) made during their courtship. It was a beautiful thing.
I love these old books! I’ve always meant to start a collection of old relationship advice books, but I’ve always gotten, well, distracted. They’re so neat, though!
I love these old books, especially when they cover relationships/homemaker type stuff. The MST3K “A Date With Your Family” is pretty hilarious too :)
That book is honestly darling. I find it so crazy to look at old etiquette books and how-to books for woman from back then. My mom has some mags from the 80s with articles in them about how to clean things properly, and how to dress your man. It’s cute to see though, how much things have changed!
Mmmm I LOVE vintage books, and I love love love old books about etiquette, manners and how to be a god housewife. It takes me back to my ol’ women’s studies days… ahaha
I love it! I acquired a similar book when I was MC for a friend’s wedding. I read choice excerpts at the reception to many laughs and much applause. It’s so interested to look back at what life would have been like back then for a “Canadian Wife.” I don’t think I would have survived either!
I found a batch of books in the old house I lived in that extolled the Virtues of Women (all in order to catch a man of course). I was only able to find three of the eight, but still enjoyed flipping through them. Stuff like that makes me smile and sigh contentedly.
What an amazing book! And the relationship advice you quoted is perfect.
You and me both! LOL!
How funny—-my mom gave me this when I was home last:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120252733396&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=aa95df9f1230a0b583051bf5ffd7fe1b&itemid=120252733396&ff4=263602_263622
It is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. And the fact that it’s from Minnesota is even better.
“Lesson No. 1 for brides: good food is perhaps one of the most important secrets of happy married life. Buy you can only obtain good results from good materials.”
“When dinner is announced, the host, with his partner, leads the way to the dining room. At the table, cards are placed at each cover showing the seating arrangement. Each gentleman draws out the lady’s chair, waits until the host and ladies are seated, then seats himself.”
“Guard your beauty and insure happiness: if you could always stay as lovely as you are the day you are married, there would be no end to romance–love would never fly out the window.”
It has many advertisements as well – love the ones for fridges and mayonnaise!
I’m pretty sure I fail at being a wife ha.
I am fairly certain that I wouldn’t fare well in that day and age. My grandmother is incredibly old fashioned, I’m a big disappointment to her because I’m not married with childrend. According to her “thats what women are supposed to do.”
Oh that book makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside – how fabulous :D
That’s pretty awesome! I love vintage things like this :) My favorite is the 1950s cookbooks I’ve inherited from my Gram; they have all sorts of marriage advice type things without being too obvious in them.
Adorable! This is a double-great present; not only is it a generational treasure, but it’s a fascinating section of history. I love persusing books like this to see how things have changed (and not changed) over the years. Thanks for sharing!
The cover is amazing, I love those little family items that get passed down through the generations.