Il-Mara Maltija, below, provides snapshot of what life was like for women in the 1950s. Photo: KUCO/Shutterstock.com

How to put on weight rather than lose it, tips to help keep your husband “happy” and the numerous economic benefits of boiled onions, are just a few of the nostalgic lessons gathered in a retro housewife handbook.

The book, Il-Mara Maltija (The Maltese Woman), was written by popular radio broadcaster Carmen Carbonaro back in 1953 and cropped up during a cleaning session in a disused library in the Rabat community centre last year.

Librarian and literary historian Kevin Vella said the book had formed part of a series of publications that women used to cherish.

“This was a sort of Maltese Cosmopolitan Magazine, 1950s style. I remember my mother having a few of them and I can still see her flicking through it after a row with my father or in between doing things around the house,” he said.

The front cover of the book gives a clear picture of what it is all about: an illustration of a woman sewing as her husband smokes his pipe and reads the newspaper. It is set beside another illustration of the same woman baking and keeping the house in order just in time for his arrival from work.

University of Malta lecturer Anna Borg said the woodworm-ridden pocket guide gave a snapshot of what life was like for women before the civil rights movement.

“You have to look at this in context. Back then most women were financially dependent on their husbands and were expected to keep the house in order. Education was still in the early stages in Malta and this is in some ways a reflection of how far we’ve come,” she said.

Dr Borg, however, was quick to add that Maltese women were still doing three times the housework men did and were earning less on average.

A look beyond the book’s front cover reveals more outdated wisdom. One top tip for instance is for women to have the housework done in time for their husband’s arrival from work, to be presentable, with hair combed and dinner fresh out of the oven, “to avoid upset”.

The book warns against reading “immoral literature”, presumably referring to magazines and steamy romantic novels. But while it does not describe what this literature is, it tells readers that if they feel “in the wrong” when reading something then they know they should not have picked it up in the first place.

Guides women on how to avoid dry, soggy or boring sandwiches

The guide comes with an entire section on socks, and how to get the best mileage out of a pair by trimming your toe nails and wearing suspenders.

It suggests ways of using boiled onions as furniture polish and provides tips for women who feel unattractive because they are too skinny.

For those seeking that “pin up girl look”, Ms Carbonaro urges readers to get a good night’s sleep, eat a hearty breakfast of toast, cereal, milk and if possible bacon and eggs. “Another snack at 11am followed by a warm stew for lunch should help plump up that figure,” the book suggests.

A large part of the guide is dedicated to what Ms Carbonaro felt was the latest scourge of the Maltese housewife: sandwich making. The book explains how “men these days are all after a good sandwich”, and guides women on how to avoid dry, soggy or boring sandwiches with a handful of easy recipes.

Not all the tips are outdated. Dr Attard pointed to sections of the book relating to keeping medicines out of children’s reach, the benefits of dental hygiene and putting money away for emergencies as knowledge which would have been essential for women back then.

10 rules for a happy marriage

1. Promise your love and loyalty to your husband and to God.

2. Hold back harsh words and don’t utter them.

3. Respect your partner’s personality. Never seek to command or dominate the relationship yourself.

4. Let no one come between you and your husband or you and the management of your home.

5. Avoid all disorder in your home at all costs.

6. Come to an agreement with your partner on financial matters, so that this doesn’t become a source of discontent or disagreement.

7. Avoid complaining at all costs. Speaking out of turn, jealously, sulking and egoism are all to be avoided.

8. Devote time, love and interest to your husband and your children’s pursuits.

9. Love your children as the best treasure God could have ever given you.

10. At night, get on your knees together with your children and gather in prayer. The family that prays together stays together.