Customer Reviews

Forgotten Elegance: The Art, Artifacts, and Peculiar History of Victorian and Edwardian Entertaining in America

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

 

 

This is a great book for anyone interested in the use of china and silverware in the Victorian Era and the functions of each piece. It is also a great guide for antique shopping or junking. I know I have seen some of those odd pieces of china and silver and never knew what they were used for. Now that I do, I can add to my collection with confidence.

This book is very detailed and informative.The bibliography is very extensive and I have found several more books that I find useful for my own collecting. However, considering the price of $62.95, I was a expecting more photos and a larger format.

I've never read a better resource for historians, historical fiction writers and Victorian/Edwardian enthusiasts. Forgotten Elegance is replete with photographs, diagrams and text culled from primary resources on the art of dining and entertaining. Though this book is fairly pricey it is a TOP resource and owning a copy of this book will supplement any and every other book on the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

The book is a valuable resource. I bought the book used so I knew it would not be perfect. However, the merchant mailed it to me in a flimsy plastic bag. The corner of the bag was ripped and the book cover was dug up and damaged at the rip. Now, it did not effect the readability of the book, but darn it, I purchased it with a certain expectation. I did not purchase it more damaged than described. When I wrote the merchant and mentioned that perhaps a heaver mailing container might be a better choice, I received a defensive and vague reply. If given the choice, I would not purchase from this merchant again. The book is a definite purchase however. I am using it for research into Victorian etiquette, specifically table etiquette.

Mr. Schollander,
This is a very good reference and resource for further research and I am very satisfied with your book. But....even though the flatware section had good coverage , the serving pieces were left out. This would include Tomato, Cucumber, Sardine, Fish, Salad, Cake, Macaroni, Ladels, etc, etc, etc. I realize this is not only a silverware book but these items were a very important part of the Victorian table. Please come out with a 2nd printing and a more extensive version.
Thank You
Sincerely,
Keith T. Kalkanoff