How to Mow the Lawn

by Sam Martin

The indispensable guide for fathers, sons, graduates, boyfriends, or any man who needs some helpful advice about all things manly. (It's about time!)

Fixing a faucet. Carving the Thanksgiving turkey. Impressing the fairer sex. How to behave when a lady faints. Mixing the perfect martini or mowing the perfect lawn. Being a man has become a lost art, but help is on the way. With more than one hundred "lost arts" documented throughout the book, How to Mow the Lawn will never let readers feel as if they don't know what to do should a manly situation come up.

Chapters

* The Great how to defend yourself against wild animals
* The Perfect getting rid of guests politely
* Gaining Points with the Fairer remembering important dates and knowing which are important to her
* How to Be a how to stop a thief in your home

A book that teaches men the basic survival skills they need to win the hearts and minds of the women they love, How to Mow the Lawn is the next great revolution in humor.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Hattie Blair · Rating 1 out of 5]

i found this in the op shop. speechless. if its not satire im extremely worried for men all over the world, if it is satire, 5 stars very funny

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I know how to change spark plugs.

[annika · Rating 1 out of 5]

can’t. tell. if. satire.
I CANT TELL YOU GUYS.

But, I will say, upon completion of the book, I was immediately submerged into what is now known as “the masculine era” and I’m probably going to end up stealing all the boys’ girlfriends and mowing everyone’s lawns.
Which I give a 5/5

[Gisela Hausmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the "good old days" before ALL kinds of information was available on the web various versions of the "little black book for men" existed. Then, when parents did not talk too freely with their sons (and daughters) about every type of topic, quite a few fathers may have bought such books and quietly handed them to their sons, so they would know what to do when taking out a young lady. Of course, these times are gone, such books aren't needed anymore but author Sam Martin rightfully points out, other skills have gotten lost since then.

His chapters: The Great Outdoors, Men and Machines, Man About the House, The Perfect Host and more shed light on these subjects. Sam Martin has authored the modern version for the 21st century.
"How to mow a Lawn" brings an irrefutable argument for reading up and adopting the presented manly skills.

Quoting from the intro: "You don't find to many smooth operators like Bogart and Brando around these days either. Men like that were gentle enough to out-charm a cobra while being principled enough to land a hard right to the jaw of any man who would say otherwise. Nowadays, most men no longer know what it takes to be real man."

I could not agree more. "How to a Lawn" delivers, which is why I bought if for my son when he was a teenager. Most impressive and useful is the last chapter "How to be a Hero". An excellent index completes the book. I also appreciated the charming drawings in the style of the fifties plus the excellent checklists and graphics, e.g. how to iron a shirt. [Indeed, in times of constantly being on the hunt for a better a job, this may come very handy.]

Definitively recommended to the parents of sons.

[Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now I know how to be a man. I am gratefully indebted to Roth & Gordon (and Gabriela) who sprung for the book for my birthday.

Anyway, the book was a fun read, covering important topics such as "Man and the Great Outdoors", "Man About the House", "Men at Work", "A Man's Best Friend", "Gaining Points with the Fairer Sex", and "How to be a Hero". I learned quite a bit about what it takes to be a masculine, American, 1950's era chap - essential knowledge for today's thoroughly domesticated males.

Seriously, the book has some interesting information that seems to be accurate. I actually learned some things that I might consider trying in the future - like building a fire pit or fixing minor plumbing problems. For now, I'll just man-up to the home maintenance challenges by calling the landlord.

[Allanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, now I am read up on all those "manly" tasks.

A good deal of which I actually already knew how to do.

This would be a cute gift for a brother or a guy friend. I might get a copy of it for my son. And tell him that he's not allowed to do anything more than date. Until he gets married, anyways. Then he can do all that stuff. But I still don't think I'll want to know about it.

Thank goodness I've got a while before all that happens.

[Emily Fish · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring.
i thought i'd get some insider information that would be valuable to me...i basically knew everything that i wanted to know...except for changing a tire, but gosh, i have AAA. i suppose if anything it made me realize, once again, how happy i am to be female.

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because it was on sale for $4 and I thought it might be a good exercise in sociological analysis of sexism. Instead I was surprisingly delighted to stumble on a book that offered useful tidbits for a host of things to do around the home.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

a sweet gesture. there are better books to read if one's trying to 'be a man', but this is a good starting point.

[Nour · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tongue-in-cheek, a wonderful wedding favour <3