Valentine’s Day Advice
On this St. Valentine’s Day 2019, we thought perhaps a little advice was in order, so we turned to the British writer Arnold Haultain and his Hints for Lovers, published in 1909 by the Houghton Mifflin Company. Haultain published this work at the wise age of 52 and dedicated it to his only daughter Emma Mellicent Audrey who was only six years old at the time.
To add the luster of love to the publication, the book was superbly designed by the masterly Bruce Rogers and printed at Houghton Mifflin’s own Riverside Press in an edition of 540 copies.
The book starts off with a little warning. Embedded in the cartouche of lovers at the bottom of the title page is an abbreviated Latin motto, Amor Flos ut Tra’sie’t, which translates roughly as “Love’s flower may fade.” Of all the aphorisms presented here, perhaps our favorites are from "On Kisses and Kissings”:
A kiss is a small thing, so is a spark . . . A smile is an open window, a kiss is an open door.
This copy is yet another gift from our dear friend Jerry Buff, to whom we send our most sincere Valentine’s greetings.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
View our other St. Valentine’s Day posts.