I almost forgot! I picked up this book while on a work trip to Oakland, California a few weeks ago – it’s called Outwitting Our Nerves, written by Josephine A. Jackson and Helen M. Salisbury in 1921, and appears to have been a bestseller back in its day. The fabulous Project Gutenberg has the full […]
Month: May 2006
1897: The Selection of a Wife
As promised, I’ve been reading through Sylvanus Stall’s What a Young Man Ought to Know to find you a representative excerpt from this 1897 book. There’s a lot in there, but I thought I’d focus in on this passage from a chapter titled “The Selection of a Wife.” With wedding season upon us, I’m sure […]
1960: Gateway to Beauty: Your Mouth
OK, I admit it, I’m an America’s Next Top Model junkie. While watching the finale tonight, it dawned on me that it really all came down to the mouth this year. Winner Danielle’s voice and southern accent, Joanie’s bad-to-good teeth but still nervous smile, and Jade’s non-stop excuses for why the judges couldn’t see how […]
1937: How to Eat an Artichoke
Every year (for the last 8 or 9 years) I jointly host an artichoke party (yes, really) with friends Art and Lucille. We order the ‘chokes from Pezzini Farms in Castroville, California and gorge with friends and family for hours on end. The big event was yesterday. Loads of fun, as usual. The early years […]
Recent Acquisitions
I helped shelve books this afternoon for the 24th annual Library of Congress Professional Association (LCPA) Book Sale. Yup, in my real life I’m a Library of Congress “professional.” One of the perks of volunteering is getting a chance to scour the selections early and purchase prior to the big opening day crowds. I was […]
Syracuse Post-Standard mention
The latest mention of the Miss Abigail book appears in The Post-Standard up in Syracuse, New York. Laura T. Ryan wrote about it in her Shelf Life column on Sunday, April 30th. Hopefully that link will work for awhile. Wondering what the New York state connection is? Welp, I was born in Auburn, N.Y. and […]
1941: Garden Hints
“Flowers, shrubs and trees add much to the beauty of a home, and well landscaped grounds, with flower gardens, give an artistic setting to even a small cottage,” reads a section titled “Garden Hints” in Elaine Allen’s Watkins Household Hints (Newark: J. R. Watkins Company, 1941). With this in mind, I tackled my garden last […]