The Married Man's Mentor

Book excerpt: There is no relation of life in which it is more necessary to cultivate a certain faculty of imagination than in marriage. You must accustom yourself to look at things, to a certain extent, from your wife's point of view." --Lucas Lovibond * A reproduction of a rare 19th century volume on marriage for the 2.3 million grooms that tie the knot each year and the five million husbands in the country. Originally written in 1899 and published by Thomas Burleigh in London, a rare edition of the 107-year-old work was procured by literary historian and author Michelle Lovric. This tome has been reproduced with attention to the finer details of its epoch-complete with simulated leather casing and a gilded emboss. * A letter relating the history of Lovric's discovery accompanies the title. As Lovric explains, "What appealed to me most was the way in which the book dealt sensitively and directly with areas that are often blind spots for husbands: issues that seem small but which can in fact constitute huge betrayal in the hearts and minds of their wives." * Lovibond writes on topics ranging from "The Honeymoon" and "The Wife's Purse" to "The First Baby" and "Second Marriages." On "The Choice of a Wife": "It is a fatal thing to form an impression at first sight, whether favorable or reverse, and let it run away with you. . . . The stupidest women are the most dangerous to the marrying man . . . a lack of ordinary intelligence can never be remedied."