Customer Reviews

The Essential Handbook of Victorian Etiquette

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First point of reference: thought the title does not specify, Hill was American. American etiquette of the period shared many common points with Victorian England, but not all. If you're looking for a guide on proper British behavior, this is not it.

Second: it's true that these are Thomas Hill's original words--but just a portion of them. This book lifts just a fraction from several of Hill's manuals. Some of the illustrations are original to Hill's works; others are Gibson illustrations randomly added throughout. There are no reference notes. This book may be great for casual interest, but for scholarly purposes it hasn't much to offer.

It is interesting, however. A good bit of this material will be familiar to anyone who reads much from or about the era, but there are some gems hidden here. Hill's advise on what sorts of people make proper marriage partners is funny and says a lot about scientific misapprehensions of the age. And his pronouncing it evidence of "ill-breeding" for young ladies to suck the handles of their parasol is pretty intriguing, casually dropped as it is among more obvious exhortations against eating on the street or whispering in public conveyances.

Ultimately, the book is fun, but a little too slight to fully satisfy. I can't help but wish that Thomas Edie Hill's original publications had been reproduced instead of excerpted. For fans of etiquette and the Victorian era, those would be truly essential reading.

This is a good way to pass a few hours, especially if picked up on discount.

I bought this book several years ago and enjoyed it immensely.

If you are interested in manners and social graces of the past, this book gives you a glimpse and will make you laugh at the same time.

What an entertaining book. Essential for understanding victorian way of life. If you are stuck reading plays like The Importance of Being Earnest or anything by Thomas Hardy, I would read this book to get a feel for the characters' lives. Entertaining because the book is written as if it was for a victorian reader.

This book whets one's appetite and leaves them wanting more. Great text, nice illustrations, but all very light. It was only 128 pages with less than 50% of it large text. The book gives an impression of trying to fill space.

My only problem with this little handy book is that it was too small. I found it very useful and would recommend it to people who are writing historical fiction or are interested in the time.

Wonderful book! Makes one wonder how the Victorians got anything done, what with all the rules and regulations. I found it to be a great deal of fun and educational, to boot. Especially liked the love letters.

Very interesting book on the code of manners of Victorian behavior. Although sometimes offensive (i.e. sexist because of its time), surprisingly human behavior hasn't changed all that much and some of these suggestions should apply today. Short, highly entertaining little book. Great for those just starting to learn about the Victorian culture. Grade: A-

Rather than being an 'essential handbook', this publication has merely an incomplete, snickering look at common social practice in 19th century USA.

This book is about life in the Victorian World when the British Empire never slept or the sun never set on it. America in the Victorian World was still a colony and indeed wanting to become it's own in identity. The book plays an important role in explaining that the rules and manner system of America was very similar to the British at least in the old families of Boston and Philadelphia.