The art of being a good husband is not an easy one. This little guide was written in the 1930s for the middle classes - one of the first modern self-help books. Illustrated with contemporary line-drawings, it contains delightfully arcane and timelessly true advice: Don't think that your wife has placed waste-paper baskets in the rooms as ornaments.

The art of being a good husband is not an easy one. This little guide was written for the middle classes of the 1930s who were reading one of the first modern self-help books. Illustrated with contemporary line-drawings, it contains advice by turns delightfully arcane and timelessly true, for example: don't squeeze the tube of toothpaste from the top instead of from the bottom - this is one of the small things of life that always irritates a careful wife; don't think that your wife has placed waste-paper baskets in the rooms as ornaments; don't tell your wife terminological inexactitudes, which are, in plain English, lies - a woman has wonderful intuition for spotting even minor departures from the truth; do cultivate the habit of coming down to breakfast with a smile - remember that as the head of the house, it is your duty to see that everyone starts the day in an atmosphere of happiness; and, don't criticise the food at your own table when you are entertaining and especially refrain from doing so before the servants.