During some recent interviews, reporters asked if I ever take my own advice. I use most of my books for reference for the Web site and all things related, but there are occasions when they come in handy for personal advice (if friends or other sources can’t help out). Such as today, when I was […]
Tag: 1920s
1924: The New Year’s Resolution
I hope you had a happy holiday. I’ve survived Christmas week, with a whirlwind trip to Buffalo, Baltimore, Mineral and then Gainesville, Virginia, to visit family… though it was good to see everyone I’m happy to be back home after all that roadtripping. I thought I would bring in the New Year with a quote […]
1924: Road Courtesy
I must be having a mid-life crisis. I became obsessed with a car (yes, a car) and just had to have it. So, traded in my trusty 2001 VW Golf (a moment of silence please) and negotiated a pretty good deal on a silver Madza3 hatchback. So now that I’m out on the road with […]
1926: Hotel Etiquette
The recent trip had a few memorable hotel-related incidents: room mixups due to a reservation booked by one of our party for the wrong night (and subsequent cancellation by the hotel), accusations by an angry Spanish hotel clerk of possible orgies (long, long story there, and JUST NOT TRUE!), and extra fees for air conditioning […]
1923: Classroom Manners
Sharpen your pencils, plug in your keyboards – it’s back to school time! To bring in the new year, I was going to share with you something from Gael Greene’s Sex and the College Girl, but it seemed a bit too scholarly for this crowd, with all those statistics about young virgins and loose girls. […]
1925: Things that Turn Men Against You
Oh, my. You’re going to love this one. I found it in Elinor Glyn’s This Passion Called Love (1925) while looking in the books for something for a friend to read at her cousin’s wedding rehearsal dinner last weekend (never fear — she did not read this one). As we can tell by a sampling […]
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 […]
1929: The Morning Grouch
I came across this little gem while preparing for an upcoming interview with a Web site called Open Grove. It’s from a book titled Lovely Ladies: The Art of Being a Woman, written by Dare Frances (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1929). As mornings aren’t really my thing, I had to laugh: ~~The […]
1923: Entertainment (part 2)
Last time, in preparation for my Miss Abigail book launch party, I brought you some tips for the party hostess. Now, some additional excerpts from Everyday Manners, for the guests: ~~When you are invited, come at the time set by your host or hostess. If you are asked to come at eight, that is when […]
1923: Entertainment (part 1)
Since I’m throwing myself a book launch party (see previous post) I thought I’d look up some advice on entertaining a group. The following, geared toward me, the hostess, is from a book authored by the “Faculty of the South Philadelphia High School for Girls” (according to my permission research for the book, no longer […]