Good Housekeeping’s modern approach to tradition is archetypal of 1950s living as the post-war age of the consumer brought about massive changes in the home. Out with the old and in with the new; the open-plan, fitted kitchen with its brand new appliances was the housewife's domain. A renaissance of 50s-style living is now being witnessed in our ultra-modern society as we see a growing interest in the culture and skills that have been forgotten or recently ignored. Not only in philosophy, but also practically, in fashion, beauty and lifestyle, we are simultaneously looking back and pushing forwards under the influence of this effervescent decade. Lovingly selected from Good Housekeeping’s archive, this nostalgic facsimile reproduction of the food, fashion, fiction and fitness features that formed the backbone of Britain’s wartime homemaking is sure to delight and inspire. Including stories and adverts, along with cleaning and craft tips for the perfect housewife this is the ultimate window on to domestic life at the time and empathetic history.

It is intended that women be happy and successful in their homemaking. Being a homemaker is a divine appointment and is a woman’s greatest calling. It should be rich in the rewards of joy, satisfaction and accomplishment. All too often, however, women feel confused, distraught or bored with their role as homemakers. They frequently dread each day, live for the time when their children will be raised so they can be released from it all, or they escape from their responsibilities to their home and family and return to the business world. Other women do enjoy their homemaking activities but find their work consumes most of their day and there is little time for other interests. Many women are wonderful homemakers and managers but are eager for new ideas and skills to make their homemaking even more effective and satisfying. To all of these women, this book offers a practical guide to happier homemaking. It recalls to mind the significance of homemaking and gives their attitude a lift. When the suggestions concerning order and efficiency, methods and approaches are applied, coupled with the workable plan which systematizes the routine duties, women will find their interest in homemaking greatly increasing and that there will be time to get their work done and enjoy creative activities, family fun and personal development. This is not just a book on how to keep house; it offers a way of life which will bring joy and satisfaction to the homemaker and rich, happy experiences to every family member.

Presents recipes for more than 1300 dishes together with information on cooking techniques, healthy eating, meal planning, food safety considerations, and an illustrated listing of fruits and vegetables.

Good Housekeeping was one of very few publications that was printed throughout the war, despite paper shortages and rations. Lovingly selected from Good Housekeeping’s archive, this nostalgic facsimile reproduction of the food, fashion, fiction and fitness features that formed the backbone of Britain’s wartime homemaking is sure to delight and inspire. Including stories and adverts, along with the cleaning and craft tips that defined the ‘make do and mend’ generation, this is empathetic history at its most charming and evocative. With features ranging from managing without milk to how to get on with Americans, this compendium is at once practical, amusing and even moving. With a no-nonsense cloth-bound jacket featuring one of the most memorable magazine covers from the decade, this really is the perfect nostalgic treat.

"The story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, the eccentric and remote sister of their dead mother. The family house is in the small town of Fingerbone on a glacial lake in the Far West, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience."--

An illustrated, nostalgic how-to guide to achieving a clean, organized, and happy home—with over 500 retro tips and tricks! Return your household to the simpler times of yesteryear with this delightful guide full of time- and money-saving tips on everything from cleaning and organizing your home to buying and handling food. Even in an age of endless new household products and devices, these old-fashioned, tried-and-true methods can help any homeowner keep a cleaner, happier home. A thoroughly researched compendium of the best American home life tips from the 1920s through the ’60s, Classic Household Hints is filled with useful information, full-color illustrations, fascinating sidebars, and quotes—providing practical help as well as fun for housekeepers and neat freaks everywhere.

'Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes' reconstructs the real 1950s, through the eyes of the women who lived it. Step back in time to where our grandmothers scrubbed their doorsteps, cared for their families, lived, laughed, loved and struggled. This is their story.