James McGrigor Allan (1827–1916)

"James McGrigor Allan was something of a misogynist, and on the evidence of his other writings a racist too. Young-Ladyism purports to be funny, but is really a sequence of snide remarks and ‘observations’ dressed up as humour. The opening sentences says it all: ‘We are conservative in everything, but more especially as regards the position in which we find women placed. We believe we have now arrived at that delightful and desirable state of excellence and felicity when the condition of women, social, moral, and political, is unsusceptible of any improvement whatsoever. Consequently it is with delight that we find women themselves protesting against the cry of Female emancipation and a more extended scale of privileges and occupations.’ All the usual subjects are explored including education, dress, deportment, conversation, shopping, music, ‘mental culture’, love, flirtation, courtship and religion in which he tries make the reader laugh, but then there is always a sting in any of his bon mots. Allan’s other works included ‘humour’, novels and periodic essays with such provocative titles as Woman suffrage wrong in principle and practice, he was equally negative to Darwin as can be seen in his On the ape-origin of mankind. Living to a ripe old age of 88, he doubtless still held forth with his unreconstructed views, lucky for him he did not see the franchise ‘extended’ to women in 1918, this would surely have carried him off with an apoplexy. Your petulant bookseller feels Young-Ladyism is deservedly rare and some sort of fair notice should be given to the effect that it be perused at the readers own risk. OCLC records one copy, at the BL." (Pickering & Chatto, cat. 799, lot 2).… (más)