The Marriage Book
The definitive anthology of wisdom and wit about one of life’s most complex, intriguing, and personal subjects.
When and whom do you marry? How do you keep a spouse content? Do all engaged couples get cold feet? How cold is so cold that you should pivot and flee? Where and how do children fit in? Is infidelity always wrong? In this volume, you won’t find a single answer to your questions about marriage; you will find hundreds. Spanning centuries and cultures, sources and genres, The Marriage Book offers entries from ancient history and modern politics, poetry and pamphlets, plays and songs, newspaper ads and postcards. It is an A to Z compendium, exploring topics from Adam and Eve to Anniversaries, Fidelity to Freedom, Separations to Sex.
Simon & Schuster, 2015
The Marriage Book
Simon & Schuster, 2015
The definitive anthology of wisdom and wit about one of life’s most complex, intriguing, and personal subjects.
When and whom do you marry? How do you keep a spouse content? Do all engaged couples get cold feet? How cold is so cold that you should pivot and flee? Where and how do children fit in? Is infidelity always wrong? In this volume, you won’t find a single answer to your questions about marriage; you will find hundreds. Spanning centuries and cultures, sources and genres, The Marriage Book offers entries from ancient history and modern politics, poetry and pamphlets, plays and songs, newspaper ads and postcards. It is an A to Z compendium, exploring topics from Adam and Eve to Anniversaries, Fidelity to Freedom, Separations to Sex.
NAMED AS ONE OF NPR’s Best Books of 2015!
“This collection is refreshingly unsappy. Like that funny guy or gal you met at the party, this sweet, smart, A-to-Z guide (‘from Adam & Eve to Zoloft’) never takes itself too seriously, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself falling in love.”
Visit the NPR Book Concierge Page to read more
REVIEWS OF THE MARRIAGE BOOK
A New York Times Summer Reading Pick!
A lively anthology of letters, jokes, songs, novels, movies, plays and poems about every aspect of this noble—or, on occasion, ignoble—institution, from wedding day to divorce [with entries that] are sincere and unforgettable. —The Wall Street Journal
Marries scholarship and irresistible ephemera. —The Approval Matrix, New York Magazine
This glossy anthology [offers] readers ready to examine, from an amused anthropological distance, the best, worst, and most equivocal aspects of marriage. The book's editors aren't wringing their hands over a cultural crisis or a precarious social rite, or trying to hammer out a marriage-promotion agenda. Rather, their trove of artifacts, collected over six years, is a revelation of the resilience, persistence, and capaciousness of, to quote Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "the conjugal conspiracy."
—Alice Gregory, The Atlantic
Everyone you can think of is quoted, plus hundreds unknown to you. A definitive survey? I can't think of writers with more energy and dedication. A gift for about-to-be-marrieds? Duh. —Jesse Kornbluth, Head Butler
A dowry of wisdom from writers, artists, experts, and politicians. —Hot Type, Vanity Fair
“Everything you could ever want to know about marriage.”
A fun read about love, sex, spats, and the rules for marriage.—Editor's recommendation, Bride's Magazine
Lisa and Stephen on MSNBC Digital
Look around the 8:10 mark to see how Lisa and Stephen do on a marriage quiz!
A clip from Lisa and Stephen on HuffPost Live.
Get a sneak peek at content from The Marriage Book — and see quotes, articles, illustrations, and lists that didn’t make it into the final book — by following us at themarriagebook.com.
More Writing on Marriage
8 Habits of Happily Married Couples
May 15, 2015
The 17 most intriguing weddings of all time
June 17, 2015
The Single Best Piece of Marriage Advice Ever Given
June 5, 2015
The 25 Most Influential Marriages of All Time
May 12, 2015
The Married Couples Who Even Death Cannot Part
May 6, 2015
Divorce is Divorce (Of Course, Of Course)
May 19, 2015
Marriage: A Brief A-to-Z
May 11, 2015
What Made a Marriage Good in 1939?
May 13, 2015
The Approval Matrix
May 4, 2015
Who Comes First?
April 18, 2015
Five Wedding Toasts to Reconsider
April 10, 2015
Don’t Sweat the Sweat Stuff
March 22, 2015
Illustration by Brian Rea/NYTimes
The Art of Being Apart
Read Lisa’s “Modern Love” column, published in the April 26, 2015 edition of the New York Times.
