Twentieth Century Advice Literature

Twentieth Century Advice Literature is a collection of digitized advice manuals, etiquette books, how-to-guides, professional manuals, career guides, textbooks, and government and association publications that provide insight into the values and behaviors of Americans of the 20th century. The materials in this collection cover topics such as etiquette, friendship, raising children, career choice, homemaking, relationships and marriage, personal appearance, cooking and entertaining, job training, personal safety, and more. Most items in this collection were intended to be taken seriously by their readers, but some are intended to be satirical, such as The Official Preppy Handbook. The collection provides a window into American social history and reflects the prevailing social mores across the 20th century. 

Please note that some digitized items may contain views, imagery, or terminology now considered to be inaccurate, biased, or offensive, and some of the advice may be outdated and/or unsafe.

This collection may be cross-searched with other primary source collections in ProQuest One Entertainment & Popular Culture (Alexander Street).