Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners

by Laura Claridge

Book Overview

The first biography of the iconic woman whose name stands for good manners tells the story of a Baltimore blue blood with a populist heart, who helped the masses live the American dream with her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375509216
• ISBN13: 9780375509216
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 525 Pages
• Weight: 2.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Very enjoyable reading

This book blended historical data with the story of Emily Post, giving the etiquette guidelines a sense of the culture of the times. Easily read this book straight through without putting it down.

Who knew etiquette could be so fun?

If you are interested in the Gilded Age - you will love this book! It started out a tedious read, very confusing at times, as the author tried to set up Emily's heritage. After the first few chapters, the story takes off, delving in to the world of the Social Register & their member's privileged lives. Emily Post led a most interesting & full life, an astute business woman ahead of her time. But she also had her share of tragedies, disappointments & loneliness. Laura Claridge captures the essence of Emily and pays tribute to this remarkable woman and her everlasting legacy.

Emily Post

A good but long read...the first half of the book deals with Mrs. Post before her divorce ... the second half is after her divorce for Edwin Post and her writing and Interior Design careers...in the first half the reader is not to sure that the writer has her subject in very high esteem, the second the author becomes more sympathetic to her subject. This may be due to the authors illness and the when she wrote each part. This is a detailed biography not only about Emily Post but American culture from post Civil War to the 1960's. Tracing this evolution through the work of Emily is not a unique idea but Ms. Claridge does a good job of blending the transitions through the writing of the ten editions of Ms. Post main body of work on American manners.

Compelling, Hard to Put Down, A great Tell All of the Who's Who Too

"Everything you ever wanted to know about society and etiquette. The perfect book for the person who is impossible to buy for. The compelling and remarkable story of a woman who overcame life's hurdles with style and grace to become the queen of what to and not to do."

Emily Post

Emily Post is written with thorough attention to detail, skillfully intertwining the private, public, and mythical icon into a very real person. Ms. Claridge intersperses this biography on with so many entertaining anecdotes that despite being a lengthy biography, it has a light touch. Ms. Claridge's writing has the wonderful combination of being both intellectually satisfying and very readable at the end of a long day.