Book Review – The Art of Manliness

The target audience of The Art of Manliness is a man who seeks refinement, typically men in their 20’s.

My parents divorced, growing up and into adulthood, I yearned for a father figure. The Art of Manliness didn’t fill my desire for a father, but it did teach me the skills and lessons that I would’ve learned from a father.

Shaving

Before reading The Art of Manliness, I used a Gillette razor, usually with the four-blade cartridge, sometimes I slummed and used the three-blade cartridge. The three-blade cartridges sold for $20, and the four-blade cartridge sold for another$5. This might not seem like a big expense, but it adds up. A year using a Gillette razor cost over $240. 

One morning during a trip, a friend pulled out his safety razor and shaving soap. He lathered the soap in a bowl and proceeded to shave. I’d never seen a safety razor let alone one in use. It piqued my curiosity.

As I would learn from the The Art of Manliness, this is how men shaved for over a hundred years starting in the late 1880s.

I decided to take the plunge. I purchased a safety razor for about $50 and a stand for another$35. That was over ten years ago, and I haven’t looked back. The cost of the blades? They’re about 10 cents apiece and typically last a week. I spend about $20 a year on shaving supplies.

Nuggets of Wisdom

Cleanliness keeps your mind clear and your life organized. If your house is a total disaster, your thinking is going to feel similarly disorganized.

We often gain a sense of prideful satisfaction by comparing our strengths to someone else’s weaknesses. In doing so, we lose sight of the ways we need to improve ourselves.

Other Topics

• Getting a haircut from a barber who uses a straight razor
• How to change a tire
• Being a friend
• Being a father
• Giving a speech
• Being a virtuous man

The authors have a podcast and a blog. Both are worth checking out.