If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen me share stories from this hilarious book. Ask the Past is a collection of some of the weirdest (and not so weird) advice found in various books.

There’s not much to say about this, but I wanted to share some of my favourite pieces of ‘advice’:

On students: “It is not appropriate to be always depressed or distracted in the company of others. This may be acceptable to those who have long pursued studies that are called, so I have been told, liberal or intellectual. It should not under any circumstance be permitted among ordinary people” (given by Giovanni della Casa in 1558)

On giving birth: “I advise you to scream loudly, so that everyone will believe that you are in great pain, and your husband and the other members of the household will have compassion, and they will try to put out the great fire of your pain by serving you capons, candied almonds, and fine wines.” (given by Michele Savonarola, 1450)

On eating: “If thou soakest the bread or meat in the sauce, soak it not againe, after thou hast bitten it, dip therein at each time a reasonable morsell which may be eaten at one mouthfull.” (given by Francis Hawkins, 1646)

On dancing: “When you are dancing, always maintain an agreeable face and please, brother, wear a pleasant expression. Some men, when they are dancing, always look as if they are weeping and as if they want to crap hard turds.” (given by Antonius Arena, 1538)

Each piece of advice comes with a picture and a short one-line commentary by the author. The pictures, I liked, the commentary, not so much. Luckily, the commentary is at the bottom in smaller print, so I managed to avoid it for most of the book.

If you like delightful anecdotes from the past that will not help you pass your history exams, or if you want something to admonish your double-dipping friends with, Ask the Past is the book for you!