OP: George the Housewife...
Shipping calculated at checkout
Herter’s Inc., 1965. Hardcover. Very Good. Second edition.
George Leonard Herter (1911–1994)—variously described as outrageous, preposterous, bombastic, chauvinistic, outlandish, and dismissive—was an outdoor goods salesman, a prolific writer, a “surly sage, gun-toting Minnesotan and All-American crank,” and an “oddball know-it-all,” at least according to The New York Times.
You’ll get the idea pretty quickly by reading no further than the introduction to his 1964 housekeeping guide, George the Housewife…, in which he proclaims that most of the available advice is “hokum” written by condescending and conning socialites and bridge players—who are not even housewives themselves—“trying to become multi-millionaires.” Instead, take his expert advice on housewifery.
Like Herter’s popular cult classic Bull Cook (1960), George the Housewife… is abrasive and unhinged, but entertainingly so (are we laughing at him or with him?), at least for the thick-skinned. While you might glean some reasonable advice and factual information, most of the fun is in his digressive ramblings.
A sampling of free advice and complaints found within:
- For the best soil to grow African violets he recommends elephant manure, but, in its absence, shredded newspaper will do
- Opt for colored bed sheets over white since they don’t show as much soiling and, therefore, don’t have to be washed as often
- Rotary telephones are a downgrade from operators as they force the caller to do the heavy lifting of dialing all those numbers
Do not expect a logical organization of thoughts either. The tips are likely presented in the order they occurred to the author, so you’ll find a recommendation for avoiding eye strain by wearing sunglasses right before a brief treatise on allergens and a statement on the best deodorant right after counsel on relieving morning sickness (“Morning sickness from being pregnant can be a really terrible thing. I have gone through it with my wife enough times to understand it thoroughly.”)
The gold cloth bound case, with which Herter’s oeuvre came to be identified, shows some light soiling and bumped corners. Otherwise Very Good.
