I had a relaxing weekend at Lake Anna (Virginia) and managed to pick up a few books along the way. First I stopped in Culpeper and visited my favorite book shop, Ace Books. It was there I found the following: 1) The Ethel Cotton Course in Conversation: The Fascinating New Way to Win Poise, Charm, […]
1940: How to Telephone Your Doctor
My little sister Jen is expecting her third child, and is currently on bed rest ~ at the hospital!! ~ until the kid is born, hopefully within a few weeks. Other than the circumstances early Saturday morning that brought her there, she and baby are doing fine and she just needs to stay put rather […]
1969: Types of Boys…The Non-Athlete Celebrity
In response to the recent excerpts from Ellen Peck’s How to Get a Teen-Age Boy and What to Do with Him when You Get Him, Jenn asked “Just out of curiosity…how do you get a non-athlete celebrity?” Ellen describes these as “the editor of the school paper or yearbook, the student council vice-pres, and the […]
Blog Guilt
Apologies, my readers. I have been busy with the day job and setting up my new MacBook and wireless home network (woohoo! I splurged for my birthday a few weeks ago), and haven’t had a change to post lately. Blog guilt is setting in. My to-do list: 1) I got another request for Ellen Peck’s […]
1969: Types of Boys and How to Get Them: The Comic
In a recent post, I brought you an excerpt about a type of boy known as “the egghead,” described by Ellen Peck in her book from 1969 called How to Get a Teen-Age Boy and What to Do with Him when You Get Him. Reader Clare wondered who the audience was for this book (teenage […]
Auburn Citizen article
A lovely review of Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage appeared in the Citizen (Auburn, NY) on Sunday, June 11: “Dating Game Hits New Level” by Diane La Rue. Bonus: learn all about Miss Abigail’s formative years, like the time my brother Chris made me stick berries in my nose! (Why did I […]
1969: Types of Boys and How to Get Them: The Egghead
A fan of the site recently wrote to request some advice on “scooping” boys. Now, I’m not up to date on my slang terms, but I’m assuming this is the same as a pickup, or a come-on, getting the attention of those young gentlemen. Well, according to one of my favorite books, Ellen Peck’s How […]
August Book Tour
I’m busy making plans for a few events and signings while I’m on the road this August in New York State and New England. So far, one has been confirmed: I’ll be appearing at the Borders in Cheektowaga, New York, (near Buffalo) on August 12. Once the other dates are sorted out, and as they […]
1941: If the Telephone Rings While You’re Away
I stumbled across this gem, which fall into the “my how things have changed” category of classic advice: “If you wish to know if your telephone has rung during your absence, put a piece of paper and a piece of carbon paper between the clapper and the bell. A mark will be made on the […]
1923: The Spending of Money
I participated in a yard sale this weekend with some friends. In addition to parting with some household things that had piled up the basement, I sold some Miss Abigail books, gave away a bunch of promo postcards, and talked to many friendly folks about the book and Web site. The three participating households were […]