"These Entertaining People: A Guide for the Elegant Hostess" 1966 Smith, Florence Pritchett

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SMITH, Florence Pritchett

[350] pp.

The Macmillan Company

1966

Third Printing

9 1/2" x 6 1/2

Concluding “delicious food appeals … Read more SMITH, Florence Pritchett

[350] pp.

The Macmillan Company

1966

Third Printing

9 1/2" x 6 1/2

Concluding “delicious food appeals to all the senses, a rare quality for anything,” midcentury socialite Florence Pritchett Smith, of New York and Palm Beach, polled her glamorous network of friends on their trade secrets for entertaining. No swan was left unturned; participants include Babe Paley, C.Z. Guest, Marella Agnelli, and Gloria Guinness (among many others). The book includes recipes and a marvelous preamble, which consists of one hundred or so pages of hosting advice from Smith and her glamorous friends.

“Man is by nature a polygamous creature who feels that one of his unalienable rights is to explore the pleasures of the world.”

--Florence Pritchett Smith

The chapters:
Good Food Is Worthy of Love (in which the author basically says the way to a man's heart is through his stomach)
Creating the Perfect Menu (including the author's helpful tips on what does and doesn't work)
The Importance of the Setting (in which the author rightly opines that it isn't just about food)
Table Settings by Decorators (including suggested table settings from each of the following)
Keith Irvine: Informal Luncheon Settings
Mrs. Henry Parrish II: Formal Luncheon Tables (aka "Sister")
Vincent Fourcade: Informal Dinner Tables
William Baldwin: Black-Tie Dinners (that's Billy Baldwin)
Valerian Rybar: A Pink-and-White Plan for an Outdoor Black-Tie Dinner Dance
Helen Cole: Changeable Centerpieces (who recommends using plastic flowers when fresh ones aren't available!)
Famous Hosts and Hostesses: Their Favorite Menus (including the author's stories about and recipes from each of the following, among others)
Mrs. Gianni Agnelli (aka Marella)
The Late Madame Jacques Balsan (born Consuelo Vanderbilt)
Cecil Beaton, Esquire
The Marchioness of Blandford (born Tina Livanos)
Countess Consuelo Crespi (the American-born editor of Vogue Italia)
Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (aka Mary-Lee)
Princess Irene Galitzine (the White Russian princess couturier)
Mrs. Winston F. C. Guest (aka CZ)
Mrs. Loel Guinness (aka Gloria)
Mrs. Leland Hayward (aka Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman)
Mrs. Henry J. Heinz II (aka Drue)
The Duke of Marlborough (known as "Sunny," but thought to be anything but)
Mrs. William S. Paley (aka Babe)
Mrs. T. Reed Vreeland (aka Diana, the legendary editor of Vogue)
Mrs. John Hay Whitney (aka Betsey)
The Duchess of Windsor (aka "That Woman!")
Menus Remembered (including the author's observations, menus, and selected recipes for)
Brunch
Luncheon
Informal Dinners
Black-Tie Dinners
Dinner Dances
Midnight Suppers
Special Occasions: Tea, Cocktail Parties, the Sporting Life, Debutante Parties
How to Plan a Wine Cellar
Gourmets and Gastronomy: Historical Anecdotes See less