I cannot resist an old book, or at least an old book that doesn’t smell musty or leak silverfish from the spine. Those mysterious dark covers, which almost never retain a visible title, can contain anything—outmoded scientific principles, hilarious purple prose, earnest prescriptions for expired value systems. Today I would like to share what may be a perfect specimen of all three—The Young Woman’s Guide to Excellence by William Aldus Alcott.[1. If your wise and…