I do not own anything that I would classify as truly 'vintage' but I do have a small collection of old books that have the ability to transport me back to a bygone age with every flick of the yellowed pages.
My collection includes:
- the marvellously Politically UNcorrect "Book of Brownies" by Enid Blyton (1967) where the people in Cleverland will spank you for being stupid and 'gay' really did mean happy.
- the 1941 guide to "Love without Fear" where needless descriptions of the unsavoury are avoided but aims to ensure that your sex life will no longer be deplorably unsatisfactory. The introduction states that - Not one husband in twelve knows enough of the technique of love to enable him to impart and recieve half the pleasure which should be derived from sexual union and The overwhelming majority of wives NEVER know the supreme joy which the sex act can yield to the ideally mated.
My favourite of the old books is a modest paperback guide from the fifties entitled "How to Decorate a Cake" by Anne Anson produced by the makers of Decorating Equipment - Tala. With the image of the immaculately groomed housewife on the front cover and the very formal writing style it is impossible not to take on the identity of Domestic Goddess as you learn everything you need to know about making a perfectly decorated cake and even how the challenge of Cocktail Parties can be met with a well set out sideboard, piled with an imaginative array of appetisers, in gay colours, novel shapes and unusual and delicious flavours. The Cocktail Hostess is even encouraged to be somewhat reckless, following every whim of her imagination and by heeding this good advice will henceforward be known as a delightful hostess and excellent cook. All of this in one 32 page booklet!
So for my Gallery contribution today I give you - How to Decorate a Cake.
