When Being a Man Simply Enough
By Eric Bradley
Krause Publications, $26.99, 175 pages
It is probably a good thing I am not rich because after looking through Mantiques: A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff I could see myself buying many of these pieces. This male focused antique guide is a perfect way to engage readers and pull them into the literary world, via a humorous connection. Broken into sixteen manly chapters, you will immediately feel a surge of testosterone as page after page you take in some of the most rad contraptions and items ever known by man, all while trying to understand why some of them are still not in use today.
“It’s not unrealistic to think that stones were the first objects human collected.”
Some of the highlights of this book are the Ojibwa shaman ritual suit, Victorian Gothic collectables from hat holders to animal skins, pin-up girls in an array of media, and an entire section devoted to bachelor pads. Readers will find that this book actually takes a while to finish completely as every item, whether picture or notation, is worthy of a deep grunt. Whether man or woman, I highly recommend this book as it will surely be quite the talk amongst friends (and divorce lawyers) as it adorns your new $2,000 19th century rosewood humidor table. Do you really have to pay for your kids’ college?
Reviewed by Kim Heimbuch
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