Ask the Past: Pertinent and Impertinent Advice from Yesteryear

by Elizabeth P. Archibald

Want to know how to garden with lobsters? How to sober up? Grow a beard? Or simply how to make a perfect omelet? Look no further. Rather, look backward.

Based on the popular blog, Ask the Past is full of the wisdom of the ages--as well as the fad diets, zany pickup lines, and bacon Band-Aids of the ages. Drawn from centuries of antique texts by historian and bibliophile Elizabeth P. Archibald, Ask the Past offers a delightful array of advice both wise and weird.

Whether it's eighteenth-century bedbug advice (sprinkle bed with gunpowder and let smolder), budget fashion tips of the Middle Ages (save on the clothes, splurge on the purse) or a sixteenth-century primer on seduction ( do no pass gas), Ask the Past is a wildly entertaining guide to life from the people who lived it first.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Humor, Historical, Adult, Trivia, Comedy

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2015

Reviews

[Mairita (Marii grāmatplaukts) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asprātīga autores ideja izveidot eklektisku kolekciju no visādos vēsturiskos "how to" manuāļos atrodamiem padomiem un pievienot tematiski atbilstošas ilustrācijas. Lielākā daļa padomu, protams, stipri bezjēdzīgi un neticu, ka strādāja, drīzāk varēja būt kaitīgi veselībai, bet ir arī daži padomi, kas ir diezgan saprātīgi, piemēram, par piršanu, dažu ēdienu gatavošanu un kā vispār dzīvot. Tāda kafijas galdiņa grāmata, ko pašķirstīt un apspriest ar draugiem.

[Ints · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ja esi kraupains ej pie ārsta!

Pirms gada nopirku šo grāmatu, nedaudz pašķirstīju, palasīju, pasmējos un noliku vēlākai lasīšanai. Vēlākais laiks nepienāca, grāmata pazuda grāmatu plauktos, un droši vien tā arī būtu stāvējusi trešajā rindā nelasīta vēl labu laiku. Nesen veicu inventarizāciju, un šī grāmata “atradās”.

Gribi dziedāt, staigāt virs ūdens? Griezt nagus zem ūdens? Tikt vaļā no paģirām pāris minūtēs? Izaudzināt degumu? Izdresēt suni? Varbūt vienkārši pagatavot omleti ar sieru? Nebūt nav jāpērk modernās padomu avīzes un grāmatas, pietiek atskatīties pagātnē.

Grāmata ir dažādu amizantu ieteikumu apkopojums, kas sarakstīti laika posmā no sestā līdz divdesmitajam gadsimtam. Ieteikumi aptver visas dzīves sfēras, un pēc sava satura un autoritatīvā stila ir tikpat neapgāžamas kā modernās grāmatās. Šo grāmatu var uztvert dažādos veidos – pirmais un visvienkāršākais ir uzjautrināties par grāmatas sniegtajām atbildēm. Otrais, kārtējo reizi konstatēt faktu, ka dumju padomu industrija nekad nezaudēs savu aktualitāti, un visticamāk pašpalīdzības un padomu grāmatas radās līdz ar rakstību. Trešais – mūsdienu padomu grāmatas un avīzes nav tikušas uz priekšu daudz tālāk par savām vienpadsmitām gadsimta māsām.

Tagad nedaudz laika veltīšu laiku spilgtākajiem padomiem. Kā pareizi barot bērnu? Te domas dalās viennozīmīgi – labāk ir dot baltvīnu, nedaudz atšķaidot. Taču ir cilvēki, kas uzskata, ka nav nekā labāka par alu un maizi, protams, neaizmirstam gaļu vakariņās. Sāp mugura – ko darīt, ko “Ārsti tev nestāsta”? ārsti nestāsta to, ka nevajag slaucīt dibenu ar zāli, tieši no zemes augušu materiālu izmantošana dibena slaucīšanā ir daudzu slimību cēlonis. Kā tikt pie baltas un mīkstas miesas? Dzer alu, labāk gatavotu no auzām, tad nebūs gāzes. Kā palaist gāzes viesībās? Jau mūki zināja, ka pirdienu nekas nepaslēpj tik labi kā klepus. Ko darīt, ja dejojot novelies uz grīdas? Celies augšā, lai ar visu cieņu pārējo acīs jau esi zaudējis. Pie reizes jāatminas nespļaudīties jaunkundzes priekšā un nešņaukt puņķus ar pirkstiem. Kā uzsākt sarunu ar jaunkundzi? Pirmais, ļaut, lai viņa uzsāk. Ja viņa nerunā, paprasīt no kāda apgabala viņa nāk un tad slavēt viņas dzimteni. Strādā garantēti. Sievietēm gan iesaka, ja vīrietis nesaprot pret viņu izrādīto interesi, tad ar tādu muļķi labāk neielaisties. Ar šādiem padomiem ir pilna grāmata, var uzzināt kā dzemdību laikā tikt pie vīna un mandelēm medū, kā pareizi atstāt viesības. Nekas nav labāks pret paģirām kā dzimumorgāna iemērkšana etiķī. Omletes recepte gan bija labi uzrakstīta.

Ja vēlies nedaudz izklaidēties, vai aizdomāties, kādēļ kādreiz bērniem deva alu, tad noteikti iesaku šo grāmatu izlasīt. Ne viss, kas mūsdienās šķiet smieklīgi, savulaik bija dīvains. Dažas lietas gan ir palikušas nemainīgas, ja tev rodas vēlme ēst dārzeņus, tu mirsi pēc divdesmit piecām dienām. Grāmatai lieku 9 no 10 ballēm, rekomendēju.

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short but delightful - and sometimes funny - book based on a blog called "Ask The Past". In it, the author shares some unusual, some touching, and some rather odd advice from the days gone by on subjects as diverse as getting rid of bed bugs (I wouldn't advise following THEIR advise though, the bed, and house, may go down in flames), picking up women, treating ailments, and the best way to clothe yourself fasionably without a lot of money.

It's a quirky book, exactly right to pass a bit of time and to smile a bit while you're at it.

[Loretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and whimsical little book of useless information from days gone by! Recommend to all!

[Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historian Elizabeth P. Archibald does a wonderful job in “Ask the Past” of showing that history can be fun and entertaining. Her collection of some of the best/worst excerpts from antique etiquette and advice books and pamphlets, along with accompanying illustrations, had me laughing so hard that I could not breathe. Her snarky “translations” at the end of each excerpt doubled the entertainment value.

Aside from being entertaining, her introduction breaks down her research methods in a way that will help novice historians learn how to take tiny bits of information and use it to get an overall picture of the society of the time.

Also, I would like to note that I am forever grateful to the person who established that it is not appropriate to attack someone who is defecating. Where would we be as a society if that was still an acceptable practice?

“Ask the Past” is the perfect gift for anyone old enough for fart and sex jokes made classier through Old English.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads. The bits of advice from the past are comically enough on their own, but the commentary for each adds to the entertainment!

[Miriam Cihodariu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short collection of random tips & tricks from the Middle Ages & Late Renascence was simply delicious! I read it breathlessly and laughing out loud, in 1-2 very busy days, over the course of a few taxi rides.

It contains advice on anything you can imagine:
- love life and 'sweet-talking your lady' (including a pretty charged advice on How to Turn Down The Advances of Your Lord's Wife)
- cooking, recipes and house-keeping (including a surprisingly still-accurate recipe for tagliatelle, a castle-shaped pie recipe and a recipe for that medieval pie which had live birds flying out of it when opened :D
- home remedies (as gross and hilarious as you can imagine)
- social etiquette (Erasmus of Rotterdam, the great humanist scholar, was apparently a master of fart concealment as well)
- fashion advice
- other random stuff, like How to Keep Your Cat or How to Escape from Prison (the plot involves melting the bars from your window with lens-channeled solar rays) :)).

To keep it short, the book is really delicious. I'm only sorry it's not longer.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is yet another case of cool-blog-got-a-book-deal, and it has some of the problems intrinsic to this genre. Which is: things which are charming when published in bits and pieces over time in a blog, doesn’t necessarily make any sense as a book. The blog publishes interesting bits and bobs of bad advice from historical books and manuals, and then we all have a giggle at how silly they are. The blog publishes them randomly, with no theme tying one quote to another, or chronological presentation, or anything like that, which totally works for a blog. However, put together randomly in book form it doesn’t quite work. I really think they needed to be organized. And there’s as far as I can tell just repeats from the blog. Still it’s kinda cute. The quotes are funny. It’s a good bathroom book (for people who do that) or small coffee-table book.

I received a reviewer's copy of this book on Netgalley.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly entertaining little book full of snippets of useful advice Ona. Wide variety of subjects, by authors from the 9th to the 19th centuries. Some of them seem relevant even today, this for instance from Daniel of Beccles. , writing c.1200, on how to dress your child ‘Only cheap clothes should be given to little children. They smudge them with ashes, they stain them, they drool on them with their mouths, they wipe noses dripping with slime on their sleeves.’ Some are perhaps more questionable, like this one from 1479 on how to prevent back pain ‘ If you avoid wiping your rear end with grass or any other foliage which has grown in the earth, you will never suffer from back pain.’ Well,I don’t know about that. There are many more fascinating snippets like these, along with delightful contemporary illustrations. My only criticism of this book is that I wish it was longer.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a light, enjoyable read. I highly recommend it for anyone who has an interest in lives of people hundreds of years ago. And, of course, who can resist advice on how to teach your cat tricks or tell if someone is dead? :)

Note: I received this book from a First Reads giveaway.

[John Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book and it is hilarious! It will be passed on to many friends.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was super lucky to have Dr. Archibald as a professor in several classes while I was at Pitt, so I was excited to read her book when I discovered she wrote this!

In Ask the Past, Dr. Archibald shares some of intriguing, funny, and not-actually-very-helpful tips she has discovered in texts during her career. Spanning several centuries from the early medieval period through the late 19th century, the advice covers everything from child rearing to tastefully farting on the dance floor. Dr. Archibald also includes a brief, humorous line reflecting on each tip.

This is a great book to read when you want something to read but aren’t really looking for anything earth-shattering. A short, funny, easy read.

[Aneesa]

Interesting frontmatter by a historian with a sense of humor. Tiny font.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too many good ones to retell, but an enjoyable (if odd) traipse through history.

[Marsinah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I won an advanced copy of Ask the Past in a drawing, I was thrilled --thrilled not because it was one of the few times when I had actually won something, but thrilled because I have enjoyed the author's blog and facebook page that preceded this gem of a book. Ask the Past is a book loaded with advice (some pearls nearly ancient, other pearls not quite yet a couple centuries old) touching upon a myriad of subjects. A few examples of topics include: trying to talk to women, behaving at school, telling jokes, curing hangovers.

Much of the advice is chuckle inducing from our modern and scientific world view, and, as the title should suggest, out of date. Some advice is still usable. Zippy little one liners from the author accompany each tidbit. What I truly love about the book is that it shows us we have needs, interests, and insecurities in common with those who have come before us. We still seek advice on how to talk to those of the opposite sex, we still share ideas on coping with hangovers, uncertainties and fears that we might do something socially inept continue spurring us to seek guidance on how to behave, and there are all manner of How-To books one can refer to create just about anything. From our distant vantage point, we can look back, laugh, and smile knowingly at some of the advice in this book, but we're also still looking for some of the answers.

[TK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it simply amazing the advice and beliefs that were used centuries past. What seems absurd to us now was common back then. Makes me glad to be alive now verses then. Though to be fair i'm sure 100 years from now they'll look back and wonder at the crazy things we do.
arc from NetGalley

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historian and professor, Elizabeth Archibald had the fabulous idea of combing over antique texts for useful advice for living, bringing these valuable solutions to our contemporary attention today. Inside, you'll discover health tips, cautions on social etiquette, cooking tricks, childrearing suggestions, pointers for ridding oneself of pests and more.

I don't frequently laugh aloud while reading, but this book had me chuckling in the break room at work. While, regrettably, most of these suggestions' purported efficacy may not have withstood the test of time, they are absolutely priceless as a fascinating (and amusing) window into the past and what folks hundreds of years ago were most concerned with. Broken down into one snippet of advice per page, it's perfect for short or infrequent bursts of reading opportunity. My 6th grader also read and enjoyed.

[松下美和子 Miwako Matsushita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny and informative. The authors comment for each advice from the past makes up the half of this books charm. I was pleasantly surprised by how often animal dung and wine was involved in these ancient tips/recipes. This book made me feel much closer to the people in the past, some even goes back as far as 5th century when I read that they were struggling with troubles that I do who live in 21st century, i.e. how not to fart in public. This book deserves the New York Times bestseller written on its cover. I really wish more people discover this book and be delighted as I have. Highly recommend. Five stars.

[Austra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Var tikai pabrīnīties, kā cilvēce vēl turas. Tiesa, pat vēl manā bērnībā tika utilizēti daži visai bīstami padomi, tā ka šī grāmata tā baigi nepārsteidz, vairāk smīdina. Īpaši piedūrīgi ir zobu kopšanas padomi (skalot ar cukurūdeni; mans zobārsts arī iesaka) vai bērnkopības ieteikumi (mazgāt bērnu vīna un sviesta mērcē; pēc tam laikam pa taisno uz iesma), bet ir jau arī lietas, kas 21. gs. daudziem aizmirsušās, bet noderētu - par elementāru pieklājību un tamlīdzīgi, tik ka tagad daudziem tādas gudro padomu grāmatas nepiedur.

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious collection of old wive's tales, medical "advice" and other such trivia from the "olden days" (much from the Middle Ages, I think). The best advice is that you should scream during childbirth because then people will give you candied almonds and wine. Bring it on!
What I really liked about this book was that it's not long and boring. Each page has one fact and no over-explanation which can make so many books like this boring.

[Athiraniday Subagio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hilarious. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs an informative book that can make you laugh instead of frowning. Some part are boring but most of it are great and... yeah, informative.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3'5*
Interesante, pero son más divertidos los extractos tal cual que los comentarios de la autora, que realmente no aportan nada.
A mi edición en papel le faltan las páginas 45 a 68. En su lugar aparecen de la 165 a la 188 repetidas.

[W.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

因為太亂七八糟所以真的非常爆笑XDDD作者收集了中世紀各種各樣的「指導手冊」，比如說，如何生孩子、如何泡咖啡、如何穿衣等等，雖然在當時可能很像回事，但放在現在來說就變成「不你們可以冷靜點嗎(BacBac Seek Around)」的事情XD
但，雖然作者已經刻意打散，以（書寫或出版的）時間做為編排順序，沒有一定的分類，可是集中起來一次看還是覺得有點膩，但做為笑話集或是談資（？）就蠻好笑，很輕鬆就可以刷刷刷翻完

[Geoff Cumberbeach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing little glimpses of past ideas/myths to cure ailments,
improve your life, if you dare to try!
Interesting ancient woodcut illustrations to accompany them.
Followed by the authors light hearted comments.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tehe. This book is a collection of advice from the past, ranging from the silly to the actually pretty good advice.
A delightful read, especially good when reading with someone else, because you can read particularly choice bits out to your friends and loved ones.

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just my kind of historical balderdash! With little quips by the writer at the end of each impertinent solution (there are very few, if any, pertinent ones), and citations (citations!) there is nothing I haven't a bad word to say about it.

[Michelle Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might need to be a history buff and familiar with Medieval and Renaissance literature to enjoy this book. I am, and I found it delightful.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! Great fun!

[Chelsey Mahoney · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[puripuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

這書真的太可愛了……雖然說不出所以然，但是太多圖片和文字都是活脫脫的meme素材xD 輕鬆愉悅的小品文學