Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - October - 2009 Issue
Ephemera Calling from Mac Selvaggio, Bookseller
A 19th century version of waterboarding.
Since we have covered an item of wear for women, here is one for the men: Bauer & Black. The Mark of the Master. Reasons why every healthy normal man should wear an O-P-C Suspensory. A "suspensory," for those who don't know, is something of a supporting jock strap. Kind of like a corset for men, I suppose. This one was designed to prevent "prolapse of the testicles," one of those things no one either wants or wants to talk about. The cover features a drawing of two extremely virile, naked (but properly obscured) men, who must be wearing suspensories behind the obscuring designs. Item 385, from 1904. $45.
A Man's Shirt is a Woman's Problem proclaims Louise Huston in a piece published in 1950 by the Arrow shirt company. Not any more, Louise. It's his own problem. In 1950, you could write, "Sooner or later almost every woman must tackle the problem of keeping one or more men 'shirt happy', just as she must learn to be a good cook." Fortunately, permanent press came along just in time to save men from changing mores. Item 290. $45.
Fred A. Packard wrote this Memorandum of a Late Visit to the Auburn Penitentiary; Prepared for the Philadelphia Society for the Alleviation of the Miseries of the Public Prisons, in 1842. He particularly approved of the device herein illustrated (click thumbnail image above), which is something of a 19th century version of waterboarding, albeit a kinder and gentler one. Actually, the water is not poured up the prisoner's nose to induce drowning. Instead, the prisoner is clamped into a sitting position and cold water is poured on his head. It sounds rather chilling, but Dr. Packard explains that compared to the cat-'o-nine tails, it "is a most happy improvement." $75.
Marc Selvaggio, Bookseller, may be reached at 800-356-2199 or dsbooks@comcast.net.
