Ask the Past by Elizabeth Archibald - ISBN: 9780224101240
Hardcover
Ancient answers to modern questions, hilarious advice from history’s archives.

Ask the Past

Pertinent and Impertinent Advice from Yesteryear

$41.86

  • Hardcover

    240 pages

  • Release Date

    15 June 2015

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Summary

Answers, advice, and age-old wisdom, from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment.

Want to know how to garden with lobsters? How to sober up? Grow a beard? Or, simply, how to make a perfect cheesy omelette? Look no further than Ask the Past.

Chock-full of advice that has (and some that hasn’t!) stood the test of time, Ask the Past is a tongue-in-cheek compilation of hilarious and true answers to life’s questions, drawn from actual antique sourcebooks by a…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780224101240
ISBN-10:0224101242
Author:Elizabeth Archibald
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Imprint:Square Peg
Format:Hardcover
Number of Pages:240
Release Date:15 June 2015
Weight:523g
Dimensions:224mm x 144mm x 22mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

From medieval headache remedies to Renaissance pick-up lines, we are promised old-school advice to make us laugh out loud and shake our heads in amazement

From medieval headache remedies to Renaissance pick-up lines, we are promised old-school advice to make us laugh out loud and shake our heads in amazement * Bookseller *
A wonderful compendium of received wisdom from our forebears, this endlessly fascinating book provides the answer to conundrums that still vex us today. From sleeplessness to weight loss, table manners to taming wayward eyebrows, 900 years of sage, thoughtful and downright bizarre advice is interspersed with witty commentary by the author. A must for anyone with an eye to the curious world of the past. * Tracy Borman *
The perfect book for anyone who wants really preposterous advice – Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *
The perfect book for anyone who wants really preposterous advice – Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *
This compendium has all the qualities of a well-curated cabinet of curiosities – Juanita Coulson, 4 stars * Lady *
If you’re more inclined to take the advice of an ancient monk than write Dear Abby, you’re in luck. Ask The Past is here to help. * Open Culture *

About The Author

Elizabeth Archibald

Elizabeth Archibald holds a Ph.D. in History from Yale University, with research focusing on the history of education from Antiquity to the Renaissance and the History of the Book. She has published on topics including the history of Latin instruction and the history of women’s book ownership. She teaches in the Humanities Department at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Ask the Past was born when Elizabeth began posting morsels of advice from medieval manuscripts and rare books to a blog. Today the blog continues to charm a global audience of book lovers and history enthusiasts.

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