What is the origin of the phrase "The Care and Feeding of _____."?

Question

There are a lot of books/articles titled, "The Care and Feeding of _____." It seems like a reasonable title for a book that talks about raising livestock, but it's often used in conjunction with roles ("the care and feeding of husbands" or "the care and feeding of executives") or even inanimate objects ("the care and feeding of books") Is there one book in particular that popularized this terminology and led to its usage in other arenas?

Answer 1

My guess is that there is no one book in particular but rather, as you remarked, a plethora of books on the care of all kinds of animals. To me, it seems like an old-fashioned title, maybe the end of the 19 century? I guess someone used it jokingly later on, and so it spread.