14 DAY TRIAL // A 17th century book that may be considered as an early forerunner to the famous “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” attempts to highlight the essential physical, mental and emotional differences between men and women, as perceived in the Victorian period.
The book, titled “L'art de connoistre les hommes,” was originally written in French by Martin Cureau de la Chambre, physician and counselor to His Majesty of France, Louise XIV. It was translated into English in 1665 by an author named John Davies as “The Art How to Known Men.”
The introduction to the small book with leather covers explains that it is “An Art, comprehending whatever contributes to the discovery of their most secret inclinations, the motions of their souls, their virtues and their vices. An Art, which will bring to those that shall attain it the greatest satisfaction and advantages imaginable.”
According to Daily Mail, the text is actually a guide to relationships, as it contains plenty of useful information on how men and women can better understand each other. It includes an extensive section that details the physical differences between the two genders.
The author describes men as being like lions, with large mouths, thick hair and musculous flesh, but when it comes to women, the book says they have a fairer appearance that “hides an infinite multitude of defects”, including weakness, jealousy, distrust and ungratefulness.
Well, it seems that the female image isn't described in a complimentary manner in this book, as the author further says that weakness appears in the female voice and in “all her motions”, adding that women were built with “cold and moisture.”
The owner of the centuries-old book had no idea how rare it was and kept it for years on a shelf at his home in Dorset. He found out that it was a rare piece of history only when he took it to Duke’s Auctioneers in Dorchester, Dorset.
Amy Brenan, a representative for the auction house, described the book as “social history.”
“This could well be the first ‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’ book. It forms the basis of what we now see as men and women, although nowadays the lines are much more blurred than they were back then. […] People genuinely believed what they read in this book,” she said.
However, nowadays, when women are equal to men, the descriptions included in this book may seem hilarious.
This rare copy of “The Art How to Known Men” will be auctioned off at Dukes in Dorchester, Dorset, for an estimated price of £300 ($500 or €362) on April 10.