Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping: Timeless Wisdom and Practical Advice (Hardcover)

~ Miriam Lukken (Author) "All of us carry in our hearts and minds the image of our ideal home, realized or not..." (more)
Key Phrases: Excellent Instructions, Little Common Sense, Miss Sallie Anne (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Mrs. Dunwoody is a character based on the author's great grandmother and other traditional Southern women who believe in the importance of making a house a home. This 'receipt book' is fashioned after the traditional notes 19th-century Southern women penned as a record of all they knew and thought meaningful to pass on to their daughters-and includes blank pages for readers to record their own notes and personal recipes. Here, Mrs. Dunwoody presents her time-tested secrets for everything from housecleaning to houseguests, letter writing to gentlemanly conduct, reliable wisdom to traditional Southern recipes, all peppered with genteel humor and wit. Mrs. Dunwoody will help readers turn their house into a home with chapters on the Art of Homekeeping, Miss Sallie Anne's Splendid Directions for Laundry, the Art of Entertaining, Matters of Formality, Notes and Recipes from the Kitchen, Marriage and Family, and much more. Because Mrs. Dunwoody knows best.

About the Author

Miriam Lukken lives in LaGrange, Georgia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446530131
• ISBN-13: 978-0446530132
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #451,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We can learn a lot from our own history, April 22, 2003

By	Catherine Dunwoody (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

I loved this book!! I initially picked it up and just skimmed throught it, which is very rewarding and fun anyway because the tidbits of info and the wonderful Victorian pictures are just incredible! BUt one quiet afternoon, i finally sat down with the book and began reading it from page one!! And when I was finished, not only did I have such a healthy respect for the way our forebears lived, it also inspired me to create a much more wholesome and warm home for my own family. and thank GOd, I don't need to use lye to wash my husband's smelly socks in, but believe it or not, many of the old household hints are relevant today. IN fact, with all the health concerns about the chemicals we use to clean with everyday and how harmful they are not only to ourselves but the environment, I actually bought a six pack of Baking Soda at the discount store to use for the myriad of ways Mrs. Dunwoody recommends. A timeless book of timeless treasures and timeless wisdom!! Makes you wish for simplier times!! I recommend it to anyone wishing to make their house more of a HOME!!

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just a Homekeeping Book, April 5, 2003

By A Customer

This book is great! Fun for brousing through. It has a little of everything and would make a great gift for a bride or new home owner, or anyone who enjoys making home a cozy place. Based on Southern "receipt books" that Southern women kept after the civil war, this book covers everything from homemade, safe cleaning solutions to letter writing and etiquitte. Some of my favorite sections include "Mrs. Dunwoody's Essential Guide to Absolutely Delightful Parties", "Mrs. Dunwoody's List of Requirements for an Exceptional Spouse" and some great Southern recipes including "Captain Clemintine's Mint Julip" and "The Robert E. Lee Cake".

Chapter titles are: The Art of Homekeeping, The Cares of House and Home, Miss Sallie Anne's Splendid Directions for Laundry, Notes and Recipes from the Kitchen, The Art of Entertaining, Matters of Formality, Health and Beauty, Marriage and Family, The Garden, and Fill-In Pages-A Treasury of Memories.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the space at the end of each chapter for making your own notes. There's even a family tree to fill out, and a place to record births, deaths, marriages, etc., just like the old Bibles used to have. Lot's of cute, funny quotes too. For the price -you can't go wrong with this one!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Advice and Tips, January 5, 2004

By	"isolde1314" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Mrs. Dunwoody's is loaded with timeless advice and tips for homekeeping, from a homemaker's daily routine, recipes for various house cleaning solutions, sewing tips, recipes for good 'ole southern food, a guide to entertaining, etiquette, letter writing, health and beauty, advice on marriage and family, planting a garden, and the book is filled with pages to fill in your own advice/tips/recipes/family memories and stories/and your family tree. This is a must for any woman who keeps a house!