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Emily Post by Laura Claridge
- Abstract
Emily Post (1872-1960) is an American literary institution. Her 1922 blockbuster Etiquette—revised repeatedly and fastidiously during her lifetime, and still in print today—ranks as one of the most influential books in U.S. history. In 1950, a popular magazine named her the second most powerful woman in America (behind Eleanor Roosevelt). Even today, five decades after her death, her name remains a byword for good manners.
In her own time, as Laura Claridge recounts in a dazzling new biography, Post was more than just an arbiter of correct behavior. At various points in her long life, she also gained notice as an actress, amateur architect, novelist, banjoist (don’t snigger: it was quite the fad back then), fashion designer, and radio pioneer.
About the Author
Jonathan Kay is managing editor for comment at Canada’s National Post.
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