Paperback 1110: Vanguard (unnumbered) (no ed. stated, 1960)
Title: Handbook for the Woman Driver
Author: Charlotte Montgomery
Cover artist: Elizabeth Pollock + [photo cover]
Condition: 7/10
Value: $8
[from a big box of books sent to me by reader "Gail"]
- I love the idea that women will naturally be wearing fancy driving gloves while driving. Also, that the steering wheel will be a freestanding plate or disc or fencing mask or robot helmet of some kind. Looks more like someone discovering an ancient artifact than someone driving a car.
- She's giving Eleanor Roosevelt. She also looks kinda like my paternal grandmother.
- Phillips 66 had a cool logo. Sincerely.
- I wonder what kind of assumptions this book makes about women drivers. Let's open to a random page and test the waters, shall we? — "Many women have confessed to me (as if it were a secret vice) [... go on ...] that they sing loud and lustily when they're alone in their cars." Thankfully, Mrs. Montgomery approves. She does not approve, however, of picking up hitchhikers or stopping on a deserted road or dressing or acting in any way that might attract "undue attention." I think she wants to say "don't dress like a whore," but that was probably deemed untactful by the editors.
Best things about this back cover:
- Trop-Artic! For when the weather is ... too ... ar(c)tic?
- Trop-Artic! Not at all awkward and nonsensical! Really surprised it didn't catch on.
- The corporate synergy of Good Housekeeping and Phillips 66 is really something to behold.
- I love (Love!) how they're selling motor oil to women the way they'd sell beauty cream. Because "every woman" wants a "lubricating formula" (!) to help her
carlook "younger." - "*A trademark" is a hilarious footnote. Oh, is that what "Trop-Artic" is? I just though it was an ad exec's bad idea.
Page 123~
Paper Play: Ticktacktoe; drawing a figure in sections, turning back the paper each time to hide what's already been drawn; folding a sheet and cutting strips of dolls. A drawing game for older children is played by making a sketch to illustrate a title, song, event, etc. The first to guess correctly wins.
"Paper Play" sounds like a very ... interesting ... driving kink, but this is just part of a long section on "ways to distract your annoying kids on a long automobile excursion." I like how the author basically invents Pictionary here. But that spelling of "Ticktacktoe" is cursed.
~RP
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky]
Those hands are not at ten and two! They also don't have a good grip on the wheel. What kind of advice is this book dishing out?
ReplyDeleteActually, these days that's about where they say you should have your hands. If they're at ten and two and the airbag goes off, you're going to punch yourself in the face twice. Still a terrible grip.
She's clearly driving a Tesla and is preparing to activate full self-driving mode so she can play ticktacktoe with the kids in the back seat. Should work out fine.
ReplyDelete