Thread: Free Book PDF from 1905: "Shaving Made Easy"

Originally Posted by dannywonderful

How fantastic that someone would go to the trouble of writing a book on how to shave, there's little chance anyone would even contemplate such a book now.

I actually think a book on how to shave may satisfy a greater need now, than in 1905.

My thank-you button doesn't work so well and I absolutely needed to make sure my voice was heard on this matter. It is an excellent service you provide for this community in posting this here. Well done.

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I find that the advice given in this book makes a lot of sense.

More interestingly, I find that it somewhat contradicts advice given from other sources.
If your beard or skin is anything but average, read this first. Shaving against the grain has always been ill advised, and this book agrees.
Some either don't mention or don't know why it may be a bad idea.
I have read that the canvas or material part of a strop is used for heating the razor to prepare it for easier stropping on the leather. I hope I have not ruined the original temper, hardness, of my blade, as this book suggests can happen by allowing the blade to become heated from doing exactly that. Also, after rinsing the blade under hot water while shaving, I am hoping today's blades have more resilient temper to them than those of old; because, this definitely heats the blade in a hurry.
I have been applying the lather to a wet face. This book has reasons why that does not make any sense.
If you have read anything in this thread, you already know this book supports cold water, not hot. This seemed like a new and radical idea to me, but this book was copyrighted in 1905! My grandfathers passed away years ago, and this book came out when they were barely learning to read. If I wanted what could have been their advice, I think I found a good option.
Finally, this book shows a specific grip on the razor. Working as a professional cook, I have seen two people cut the tip of their thumbs off from close to the base of their finger nails. The blade must be pinched by the thumb and index finger for complete control. For them, that advice came late. This book suggests the same type of grip for the exact same reason.

I am not saying there is only one way to do things right, but I do believe that this book shows one way to do things right.

anyway,
This is a short read, and the advice is always based on logic, some science (temper of metal, biology of a hair follicle), and the goal behind each step in the shaving process (what the lather is supposed to do for you). I think that the shaving process done somewhat haphazardly means you may be taking more of a financial and health risk than you realize.
I have a tough beard, and need to find what works. My face is not my Bikini Atoll and is quick to let me know the consequences of too much experimentation.

For those of you who shave hot or cold, with lather or cream, with disposable or straight,... and it all works about the same, I envy you.
For the rest of us, this book can be quite the find.

Thank you for posting the link to this book.

Thanks for posting this. It was a quick easy read.

Thanks for sharing dude!

Excellent read! Thank you so very much for this!

Great post! I've already read over it and it's a good read.

Outstanding post, I really enjoyed reading the pamphlet. There was much to agree with, some things to try, and very little I could disagree with. The illustrations were excellent. Thanks very much for this link.

Originally Posted by LuckyCynic

Wasn't quite sure where to put this so I suppose in with the newbies but I bet anyone will find this interesting.

Often times it seems that some books just are left without a publisher and their copyright runs up. What happens then? Well, they are argued to become "open media." Recently whilst snooping for old time classics, I bumped into this relic ready for download from the Internet Archives. It appears to be the Library of Congress's scan of a 1905 book called Shaving Made Easy: What The Man Who Shaves Ought To Know.

I haven't read too much of it but its roughly 80 pages and appears to be a quick but thoughtful read- and from the early 20th century, it sure has some of that old school class to it. Of course, the 20th century (and so far, the 21st) have had some pretty important shaving developments but if you want to take a stroll back in time, this appears to be a good way to do it.

PDF Link. ~2.5Megs.
Original Link/view it on PC screen.

Anyhows, enjoy!

This link is so good that I vote for this thread to be a 'sticky'.

It, along with others, are located in the Wiki. I didn't realise this was such a recent find.


Mick