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
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
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, and much more. More
The American Lady
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Hogan & Thompson, 1839. Hardcover. Black cloth over boards; Gilt titling; 288 pp.; BW frontispiece; BW illustrated title page. Covers a wide variety of topics concerning the state and duties of the American Lady in the mid-nineteenth century, including "the Peculiar Features by which the Character of the... More
Natives and Settlers: Indian and Yankee Culture in Early California
Softcover. Brownish wraps. 88 pp. Profuse bw and color plates. 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
Knife / Fork / Spoon: The Story of Our Primary Eating Implements and the Development of Their Form ...
Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 1951. Softcover. Black and illus. wraps, illus. flyleaves. 63 pp. Numerous bw plates. Issued in conjunction with an exhibition of cutlery! With text by D. S. Defenbacher. Addreses most, if not all, of the 166 pieces in the exhibition. Quite interesting. 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
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
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
A Quaker Woman's Cookbook: The Domestic Cookery of Elizabeth Ellicott Lea
Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2004. Softcover. Brown & color illus. wraps, 356 pp. A fresh new copy of this extremely popular 19th century cookbook, with lengthy introductory essay about the authentic American Folk diet. The entire 1853 edition is reproduced, complete with index, along with a glossary and contemporary bibliography... More
Discerning Characters: The Culture of Appearance in Early America
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011. First. Hardbound. Black boards with red-orange illustrated DJ, [viii] 319pp, 27 BW illustrations. From the publisher--This book explores how early Americans grappled with the relationship between appearance and social distinction in the decades between the American Revolution and the Civil War. Through a wide... 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
Nelly Custis Lewis's Housekeeping Book
New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1982. Hardcover. Grey cloth, of-white ill. DJ. 131 pp. Several bw ills. Housekeeping book for the Woodlawn Plantation, kept by Nelly Custis Lewis, George Washington's adopted daughter. Includes recipes and remedies. More
Etiquette: The American Code of Manners: A Study of the Usages, Laws, and Observances which Govern Intercourse in the Best Circles of American Society
New York: George Routledge & Sons, 1834. Hardcover. Black cloth with gilt titling and decoration; 397 pp.; No illustrations. Advice on manners in American society in the early nineteenth century; Covers topics such as "entering" society, courtship, conduct in crowds, wedding etiquette, breeding, personal care, dress, how to deal with... More
POOR BOY AND MERCHANT PRINCE; or, Elements of Success drawn from the life and character of the Late Amos Lawrence, A Book for Boys
Boston: Gould and Lincoln, 1859. Ambossed publishers cloth with gilt embossed title and design along spine. 1 pp ads prior to title-page, 349 pp. followed by 10 pp ads at rear. More
Our Deportment, or the Manners, Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined Society
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Publishing Co., 1881. Hardcover. Blue cloth with black and gilt decoration and titling; 415 pp.; Numerous bw figures. Instruction on all kinds of manners, home life, and personal care, including dinner party etiquette, street etiquette, etiquette in Washington, D.C., courtship, weddings, funerals, christenings, dress, care of the... More