Backlist Love is an informal series on “older” books that I hope you’ll find interesting. These aren’t so much reviews as quickie recommendations, so check out your favorite book review sources if you want more info.
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen (2014)
Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at “pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular?
Better than Beauty: A Guide to Charm by Helen Valentine and Alice Thompson (1938)
Better than Beauty resuscitates the long-lost art of charm with hints, tips, and tricks guaranteed to boost our charm quotient. First published in 1938, this classic compendium is overflowing with timeless advice to help guide you through a maze of social interactions with wit and finesse. Much more than an etiquette or personal grooming book, Better than Beauty tackles complicated social situations with delicacy.
Why I liked them
Better Than Beauty is something I picked up on a whim many years ago because I honestly thought it was a kitschy joke book just based on the cover. Joke was on me, though, because it was actually a reprint of a pre-WWII guide to attractiveness and charisma for women. And as it turns out, it was actually exactly what I needed at that point in my life. It was one of those awkward time periods everyone goes through at some point -— both physically and socially — and having this treto advice was actually one of the things that helped me figure out how to grow out of that.
Along those same lines, I kind of wish I’d had Maya’s book, Popular, at that age, too — but knowing teenaged me, I probably would have refused to read such an obvious guidance-counselor-bait book. But it was quite fun to read as an adult, anyway.
Who I’d recommend them to
Well, both books could be helpful to teen girls trying to drag themselves out of one of those awkward stages, of course.
But I’d also say these books are both good options for just anyone who’s interested in etiquette and fashion and that sort of thing — especially if you sometimes need a reminder that whatever trends you see on social media and in the fashion magazines aren’t the end-all-be-all of beauty or charm or social success.
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