Books in Brief

The Rules: Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right, by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider (Warner, 174 pp., $5.99)

FORGET women’s lib and welcome to the 1950s: the most-talked-about best-seller of the season is a slim paperback that advises women to date men as if Eisenhower, not Clinton, were the President. The rules listed here include: “Don’t talk to a man first,” “Don’t call him and rarely return his calls,” be “demure” and ladylike. But the Rules are about more than just playing hard to get. Some would seem to be common sense: e.g., on the first date, don’t talk about your shrink. Others require much self-restraint, we are cautioned, especially such toughies as not having sex on the first date and not dating married men.

KR

About the Author

Karina Rollins

The Rules: Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right, by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider (Warner, 174 pp., $5.99)

FORGET women’s lib and welcome to the 1950s: the most-talked-about best-seller of the season is a slim paperback that advises women to date men as if Eisenhower, not Clinton, were the President. The rules listed here include: “Don’t talk to a man first,” “Don’t call him and rarely return his calls,” be “demure” and ladylike. But the Rules are about more than just playing hard to get. Some would seem to be common sense: e.g., on the first date, don’t talk about your shrink. Others require much self-restraint, we are cautioned, especially such toughies as not having sex on the first date and not dating married men.