Ask the Past: Pertinent and Impertinent Advice From Yesteryear

If you're as intrigued by random bits of history as our family is, Ask the Past: Pertinent and Impertinent Advice from Yesteryear by Elizabeth P. Archibald may be just what you didn't know you wanted to read. I learned how to dye my hair green (from a source dated 1563), some new tips for childbirth (scream loudly so people will feel sorry for you and give you treats), and to only give cheap clothes to small children because they tear and stain them. Although I knew that last one already.

It's all in the original spelling and grammar and some entries are more challenging to decipher than others. There's a brief comment after each entry and I found myself giggling at quite a few of them. What I really wish the book included was some explanation of the historical context.

If you're intrigued, you can check out Ask the Past, the blog that the book is based on, or the Ask the Past Facebook Page. Both will give you a good feel for what the book is all about.

 Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an ARC.