Etiquette Book

I read the Kindle version of the first edition, published in 1922.

Imagine, it's 1922 in NYC and surrounding areas (the author's typical focus, she advises people in other areas to follow local customs). This is your social life: you have a list of people who are your friends or acquaintances. One day a week, you go to these peoples' houses and leave a card with your name on it, except that you can't go two weeks in a row because they have to leave a card at your house before you can go back to theirs. Sometimes you may actually visit with them, sometimes you just leave the card with the butler. And the list has subsets: you'd invite everyone on it to a ball, but you have a separate list for those you'd invite to a dinner party, and another for those you'd invite to a supper party, and yes, those are different events. Different dress, different food, different service, different etiquette. But you wouldn't invite someone to a dinner or supper party who was not part of your main list. Don't even get me started on your country house. And you have to manage all these lists without Excel! (But you can hire a personal secretary on a part-time basis).

This book covers all that, plus weddings, mourning, business, traveling, social clubs, meeting royalty, and more. It's a truly fascinating look at high society in NYC in the 20s, and I can't get enough of it. Even though I'd probably have been unable to remember all the different scenarios and what to do in each.

Post uses fake names of socialites throughout to illustrate different concepts, but I suspect they are based on real socialites and I sure would like to figure out who was who. Especially which family owned the country house with bowling alley, ballroom, and indoor pool!

There is a section on teaching children manners that should be read and implemented by many parents today. In the 20s, apparently the kids DIDN'T rule the house. Huh.

I highlighted a lot of amusing or interesting passages on my Kindle, I will have to come back and add some of them in.