Life, Death, Love, and Marriage Archives

The New Woman Gets Hitched

July 12, 2022 Holly Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 6 comments

The new woman’s guide to getting married
McCord Leo
1982

Submitter: A reference question brought me into the wedding books collection and I came across this book. I was surprised it was still circulating with a checkout just last year. Toned and dated, I thought I was going to find a real humdinger – but the info in the book was not that bad. It’s still worth weeding and replacing with something more modern that includes up-to-date financials and includes non-heterosexual couples.

Holly: The photos! Absolutely stunning. Oh, wait…there aren’t any.

Marry Me!

June 8, 2022 Mary Kelly Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 17 comments

With These Words…
I Thee Wed
Contemporary Wedding Vows for Today’s Couples
Eklof
1989

This is one of those books that helps you customize your vows. I have actually had a couple of reference questions over the years about writing vows. Most of the time, I didn’t think of a book that would actually give you vows. Most of the folks I waited on were looking for specific poetry. I suppose this has an audience but I doubt this kind of book would be one that comes to mind.

Divorce Mediation Help

May 25, 2022 Mary Kelly Life, Death, Love, and Marriage One comment

The Divorce Mediation Handbook
James
1997

Divorce mediation is a great topic for library collections and can be a cheaper alternative to traditional divorce. However, it isn’t right for everyone, especially when there are complex issues or unequal power dynamics. In 1997, this would have been a great choice for a public library collection. In 2022, the topic still has merit, but it is essential that this material is up to date.

I would like to also say this could qualify as an easy weed. Topics in the legal and medical areas are easy weeds just based on date alone. If the book purports to give advice to the reader for a current medical condition or current legal situation, the publication date automatically throws that material into question.

Housewife Value

May 16, 2022 Mary Kelly Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 5 comments

What is a Wife Worth?
Minton
1983

This book represents an important development in the world of divorce law. The author, Michael Minton argued the economic value of homemaking in the late 1970s. Minton, an attorney from Chicago, argued that stay at home wives were entitled to assets from the marriage. He argued that there was economic value in homemaking. Prior to this time, a high earning husband can walk away with all the marital assets leaving a wife with nothing. Minton represented a former wife of a Sears Roebuck executive and obtained a settlement arguing that she contributed economically to their 39 year marriage and deserved appropriate compensation.

Time to freak with your geek!

March 15, 2022 Mary Kelly Ha Ha Ha?, Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 6 comments

The Geek’s Guide to Dating
Smith
2013

I am just going to assume that librarians fall into the definition of “geek”. This little book uses a gaming metaphor for the entire book while dispensing some relationship advice. It is cute and more about the metaphor than any meaningful special advice for those with a geeky outlook on life.

This is also sitting in the 800s rather than 646.77 or any other Dewey. So even though it is dating/relationships, it is really a humor book. It went out a bunch of times when it was new, but has been languishing in the collection for the last couple of years. I also want to point out that as technology has evolved, I would imagine so has the technology based humor.

Boys are important people!

January 6, 2022 Mary Kelly Life, Death, Love, and Marriage, Talkin 'Bout My Generation 9 comments

How To Talk To Boys
and Other Important People
Winters
1983

Girls, here is your chance to get a boy to like you. Are you shy? This book has all the right things to say, so you can get the boyfriend of your dreams!

This book was a bit much for 1983. I am not sure that today’s teens would find anything remotely useful in this book. I doubt this advice worked in 1983 either. This book gives advice on what to say, with some help from Barbara Walters! There is advice on how to be a good listener (aka shut up and let the boy talk). Good grooming is essential. In other words, looks count.

find the man of your dreams using the internet cover

Dating when the bar is low

September 17, 2021 Mary Kelly Bleeding Edge, Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 8 comments

How to get the man of your dreams using the Internet
Chance
2005

Ladies! Here is your chance to find the man of your dreams using the Internet. We have had a lot of dating books on our website over the years. By the time this book was published, many online dating sites were still in their early days. Very little is offered about finding the right type of service, although the author said that a good quality in a service is a chat room.

The advice is thin, even for the early days of Internet dating. Some of the other books we have featured on our site about Internet dating have more depth than this book.

Groom Info

September 13, 2021 Mary Kelly Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 9 comments

Groom to Groom
A Complete Wedding Guide for the Groom
Piljac
1983

For all the guys getting married, here is your how-to manual. I didn’t see a whole lot of “groom specific” information. It actually reads like any other bridal/wedding planning book, except much more condensed. Think of this book as the minimum amount of knowledge required to have a wedding and reception.

Props to this book for also addressing potential issues for couples such as budgets and marriage readiness. I actually think this might be a good candidate for an update, but they should change the title and get some serious book design. (Check out the discussion of bridal gown prices in the 4th image.)