The Bazar Book of Decorum. The Care of the Person, Manners, Etiquette, and Ceremonials
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1870. Hardbound. Plum cloth with gilt lettering; 278 pp. A quaint etiquette book covering some very unusual topics. More
Manners and Customs - American
The Young Woman's Guide to Excellence
Boston, Massachusetts: Waite, Peirce & Co., 1846. Twelfth Stereotype Edition. Hardcover. Brown cloth over boards; Gilt titling at spine; 356 pp.; 2 bw frontispieces. A guide to all aspects of life for the young woman, including cleanliness, dress, intellectual and social improvement, caring for the sick, industry, exercise, frugality, self-dependence..... More
The Mother's Assistant and Young Lady's Friend
Boston: William C. Brown, 1846. Hardcover. Leather 4-band spine, corner tabs. 143 pages : illustrations. Interesting title on child care and young lady manners. Quaint snapshot to a diffferent time. Good re-bind candidate. More
The Romance of Greeting Cards: An Historical Account of the Origin, Evolution and Development of Christmas Cards, Valentines and Other Forms of Greeting Cards from the Earliest Days to the Present Times
Cambridge: University Press of Cambridge, 1956. Hardcover. Blue cloth. x, 252 pp. 53 bw plates. Edited by James Chamberlain. Introduction by Stephen Shannon. More
Remember the Ladies: Women in America, 1750-1815
New York: The Viking Press, 1976. Softcover. Taupe illus. wraps. 168 pp. Profuse bw and color plates. "'Remember the Ladies ...,' wrote Abigail Adams in 1776. But Americans quickly forgot." (intro) What was it like to be a woman in the 18th century? Chapters here address such topics as love..... More
The Economy of Human Life, Part I
[Salem, Massachusetts]: Printed by T.C. Cushing, 1795. Hardcover. Half-bound brown leather and marbled boards; xii, [1], 14-144 pp. Early, complete Salem, Massachusetts imprint. Generally attributed to Robert Dodsley. The Dictionary of national biography attributes Part I to Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, and Part II to John Hill. --..... More
Home Life in Colonial Days
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1898. Hardcover. Beige cloth with red and dark green decoration. xvi, 470 pp. Numerous bw illustrations. The author reconstructs for us colonial life by describing in great detail manners, customs, dress, homes, and child life. More
Stage Coach and Tavern Days
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1900. Hardcover. Tan cloth. T. e. g. xvi, 449 pp. Numerous bw ills. An account of 19th century stage-coach travel and tavern life in Kentucky addressing social life and customs, stage coach lines, signboards, typical characteristics of tavern landlords, turnpike routes, and toll gates, and..... More
Stage Coach and Tavern Days
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1900. Hardcover. Blue cloth boards with red and black lettering and illustration; xvi, 2 unnumbered pages; 449 pp. Numerous bw ills. An account of 19th century stage-coach travel and tavern life in Kentucky addressing social life and customs, stage coach lines, signboards, typical characteristics of..... More
Natives and Settlers: Indian and Yankee Culture in Early California: The Collections of Charles P. Wilcomb
Oakland, CA: The Oakland Museum, 1979. Softcover. Brownish wraps. 88 pp. Profuse bw and color plates. A catalogue corresponding to an exhibition at the Oakland Museum from December 18, 1979 to March 9, 1980. Contents Include: Introduction -- Preface and acknowledgments -- Charles P. Wilcomb, cultural historian )1865-1915 -- Colonial..... More
The Perfect Gentleman, or Etiquette and Eloquence: A Book of Information and Instruction for those who Desire to Become Brilliant or Conspicuous in General Society
New York, New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1860. Hardcover. Dark green cloth over boards; Gilt titling and decoration at spine; 335 pp.; No illustrations. Includes useful information for the American gentleman, including a wide variety of toasts and speechs, pointers on wine and giving a dinner, key notes about artists..... More
The Household Cyclopedia of Practical Receipts and Daily Wants
Springfield: W.J. Holland & Co., 1874. Hardcover. Brick red cloth over boards; All edges gilt; 423 pp.; 100+ bw figures. Sold as "a book for every home" with "something for everybody"; Includes information about cooking, taking care of the sick, household pets, etiquette, weights and measures, first aid, raising children..... More
Common Sense in the Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery
New York, New York: Scribner, Armstrong & Co., 1874. An early printing, copyright 1871. Hardcover. Brown library buckram boards with original reddish brown cover laid down (glued), no dust jacket. 556 pp. Unillustrated. Good index. Age-old advice on food handling and preparation, with recipes, including foods less customary to our..... More
The Handbook of Sexuality in Close Relationships
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. Hardcover. Blue and pink illustrated boards, pink and white lettering; x, 686 pp. "Obviously, sexuality is a central aspect of close romantic relationships, yet according to Harvey (U. of Iowa), Wenzel (U. of North Dakota), and Sprecher (Illinois State U.), there has been little..... More
Notes on the State of Virginia
Boston: Wells and Lilly, 1829. Hardcover. Full leather binding with gilt lettering and profuse decoration on spine. 2 preliminary leaves, 280 pp. First edition printed after Jefferson's death in 1825. Scarce. "The following Notes were written in Virginia, in the year 1781, and somewhat corrected and enlarged in the winter..... More
Regional Dances of Mexico
Dallas: Banks Upshaw and Company, 1946. 4th printing. Hardbound. Black cloth covers with silver gilt design. vii, 78 pp., printed on yellow paper. A delightful book, complete with music scores and patterns. More
The Gracious Art of Dining
New York: Black Knight, 1927. Softcover. B&W illustrated wraps. Illustrated in B&W. 63 pp. A guide to basic table etiquette: "while modern day dining is no longer a matter of fixed ritual, certain amenities are involved, the observance of which is a matter of taste and pride among discriminating people"..... More
Music in Colonial Massachusetts: Vol. II-Music in Homes and in Churches
Boston: Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1985. Hardcover. Light blue cloth with light brown, color-illustrated dustjacket. LI, (3), pp. 409-1194 folding color frontis, other bw illustrations throughout. More
Music in Colonial Massachusetts: Volume II-Music in Homes and in Churches
Boston: Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1985. Hardcover. Light blue cloth with light brown, color-illustrated dustjacket. LI, (3), pp. 409-1194 folding color frontis, other bw illustrations throughout. Volume 2 only of a 2 volume set. "This volume is the second on the subject of music in colonial Massachusetts to be published..... More
Ethics of Household Economy: a Help to Inexperienced Wives and Discourage Mothers; Economy is Time, Strenth, Money
Chicago, Illinois: Justitia Publishing Company. Hardcover. Olive green cloth boards, gilt titles, no dust jacket. 222 pp. Unillustrated. An ambitious title! In the language of the time, well-intentioned advice from our ancestral mothers. A cultural gold mine, at times humorous, useful (e.g. cleaning the cellar and the attic), and perhaps..... More
At Home and Abroad; or, How to Behave
New York: Evand and Brittan, 1853. Original Edition. Hardcover. Red cloth with blind-stamp decoration; gilt lettering and decoration. 165 pp. with occasional in-text decoration. Behaviour in church, at the table, in the street, as a house guest, as a host; personal habits; bad habits peculiar to little boys; proprieties of..... More
The History of the Art of Table Setting, Ancient and Modern
New York, New York: Claudia Quigley Murphy, 1921. Softcover. Light brown wraps; 65 pp.; Profusely illustrated with bw figures. Includes table settings from Anglo-Saxon times to the early twentieth century; Discusses cloths, serving implements, silverware and dishes, how to serve certain foods, and much more. More
Our Own Snug Fireside: Images of the New England Home, 1760-1860
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. Hardcover. Burgundy cloth, siena and blue illus. DJ. xiv, 317 pp. 162 bw illus. "In this portrayal of home life in New England from the years preceding the American Revolution to the eve of the Civil War, Jane Nylander explores both everyday realities and..... More
The Girl's Own Indoor Book
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1888. Hardcover. Brown cloth with color illustration and gilt title block; Illustrated endpapers; 548 pp.; Numerous bw figures and plates. Contains articles by various authors on the proper ways for girls to conduct themselves, including sections about needlework, art, elocution, music, health, recreation, etiquette..... More
Home Altars of Mexico
London: Thames and Hudson, 1997. Softcover. Pink, yellow & color illus. wraps, French flaps, 138 pp., 59 color plates, sundry other illus. "For over a decade, Dana Salvo has travelled throughout the central highlands and southern states of Mexico with artist Dawn Southworth and their young children, Jahna and Simone..... More