Entertaining is Fun: How to Be a Popular Hostess [Hardcover]

Dorothy Draper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 2004

The timeless and collectible classic on entertaining-at last back in print!
Dorothy Draper (1889-1969), like her contemporaries Diana Vreeland and Elsie de Wolfe, became an icon of stylish living through her interior decorating and many books.
Originally published in 1941, Entertaining Is Fun! is one of Draper's most delightful creations, hailed in the original flap copy of the book as "neither a cookbook nor a book of etiquette, but a vivacious and inspiring book on home entertaining." With its charming retro package, this book teaches you how to host the most fabulous dinner parties, holiday meals, and weddings, and also makes a great gift!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dorothy Draper was born in 1889. She got her start in interior design decorating the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan and the Greenbriar Hotel in West Virginia. She died in 1969 at age 80.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 268 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli; 1st Rizzoli Ed edition (October 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847826198
• ISBN-13: 978-0847826193
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun & inspirational read, November 7, 2004

By 

anonymous - See all my reviews

This review is from: Entertaining is Fun: How to Be a Popular Hostess (Hardcover)

If you're looking for some new ideas, as well as a peek into entertaining during the 1940's, you'll find a lot to enjoy in this reprint of Dorothy Draper's charming guide to entertaining. With an emphasis on simple, unpretentious planning, I think it was quite ahead of its time. This might make a good hostess gift!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE housewarming gift for gay men, April 30, 2005

By 

Usonian33 (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Entertaining is Fun: How to Be a Popular Hostess (Hardcover)

Not as important or famous as Draper's "Decorating is Fun," but her 1941 "Entertaining" book is still amusing, deserving a spot on your coffee table next to an old 1940s Emily Post Etiquette book (when is somone gonna get wise and issue reprints of THOSE?).

Among the highlights is a full list of what every well-appointed home cannot do without, just in case an unexpected guest drops by ("a charming tea set," "a good hall mirror," and "a big metal bell with a lovely tone, to call people in from the garden for games or meals..."), and how to throw a dinner party--1940s style.

Fascinating book. In no time you'll be providing crisp stationery, fresh flowers, 700-thread-count sheets and a luggage stand for your weekend guests...and really, aren't those the "family values" that matter most?

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming!, November 8, 2005

By 

Lady La (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Entertaining is Fun: How to Be a Popular Hostess (Hardcover)

This book is wonderful. I just love Draper's tone and conversational way of writing. She offers ideas for all budgets and lifestyles. Charmingly retro, with plenty of good advice for today's hostesses. I could not put it down.