This work shows 16th-century Italy from an alternative perspective: through advice manuals which were staples in the households of middlebrow Italians just trying to lead a better life.
List of IllustrationsAcknowledgments1. Readers2. ConceptionBoy or GirlFrequency of IntercoursePositions during IntercourseSettingMale ImpotenceInfertility in WomenMenstruationAre You Pregnant?3. Pregnancy and ChildbirthBoy or Girl?Maybe Twins?Due DateMiscarriageDiet and Daily ActivityMidwivesAnatomyLaborPostpartum Care4. Raising Your ChildNursing: Who Should Do It?Nursing: How to Do ItChild Rearing: Physical HealthChild Rearing: Good CharacterChildren's Books5. AdolescenceWho Was an Adolescent?The Sins of AdolescenceMaking FunChoosing a Spouse6. Marital RelationsFrom the HumanistsFrom the ChurchFrom the GentlemenWidows7. Then and NowFemale AuthorshipThe InternetNotesIndex