Inside Stories is a collection of advice culled from New Zealand women's magazines from 1890 to 1975, between women getting the vote and the second wave of feminism, when attitudes to the role of housewife changed. Interestingly, apart from the notable exception of the New Zealand Women's Weekly, few have survived.
Dipping into this book makes for quirky reading, especially some of the agony aunts' advice on relationships, such as encouraging women to "look after themselves" or how to deal with a husband who drinks.
However, there is little to distinguish what information is actually local from what comes from overseas sources, and the author has not related the information in chronological order, so it is not easy to follow historical trends - although, as Walsh points out in the introduction, the magazines traversed the same old ground decade after decade.
Perhaps this is what makes reading through the book less than riveting, especially as the author does not offer an overview, or thesis of her findings. However, it is charmingly produced with page borders, advertisements and illustrations from times gone by.
• Charmian Smith is an ODT feature writer.
