Emily Post

September 1, 2008
Claridge ("Norman Rockwell: A Life"), a former English professor, has produced what is called the first authoritative biography of the original etiquette expert, Emily Post (18731960). Growing up in Baltimore, Manhattan, and exclusive Tuxedo Park, NY, Emily Price observed the habits of the East Coast's elite families but never quite felt that she belonged to this circle. A cold marriage to Edwin Post ended in a scandalous divorce in 1906, whereupon Emily Post turned to writing, including journalism and fiction, to support herself and two sons. In 1922, nearing age 50, Post switched genres. She published "Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and the Home", which became a best seller and spawned many updates and related publications. "Emily Post" came to be synonymous with good manners, a household name because of her appealing message to the middle class that manners and genuine kindness would trump nouveau riche behavior or snobbery. Unfortunately, having spent seven years researching and writing her book, Claridge includes too many tedious details about Post, while her attempts to connect Post's life to contemporary American social history are not in sufficient depth to be successful. However, as this is the first full biography of Post, public libraries may wish to consider purchase anyway.Kathryn Stewart, the History Factory, Chantilly, VA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2008
Given the ubiquitousnessof her repeatedly revised magnum opus, Etiquette, first published in 1922, we think of Emily Post as an institution rather than a human being. But she was a woman of substance and sensitivity. The first to fully portray this pioneer, Claridge is becoming the sort of biographer readers will follow anywhere, and one hopes shell continue in the vein that yielded Norman Rockwell (2001) and now this absorbingstudyof a keenly perceptive ethicist second only to Eleanor Roosevelt in the immensity of her influence. Achild of privilege born in the wake of the Civil War, smart and beautiful Emily Price married a rascal. The pain and humiliation of her divorce from Edwin Post fostered her devotion to writing (she was a successful novelist) and seeded the compassion and advocacy for women that shaped her highly moral approach to etiquette. Claridge chronicles Posts remarkable ability to discern the needs of a burgeoning American public transformed by immigration, industrialization, war, and womens and civil rights, and hungry for guidance in social and familial situations. A best-selling writer and hugely popular radio personality, Post equated etiquette with character and ensured a democratization of manners. Claridge greatly deepens our appreciation for Posts achievements and brings forward the impressivewoman behind the dos and donts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)