Other editions of book Society As I Have Found It

Written and Published in New York in 1890. (469 pages)About the Author from Wikipedia: Born Samuel Ward McAllister to a socially prominent Savannah, Georgia judicial family, established himself as a successful attorney in California during the Gold Rush. He used the earnings from his legal prowess to journey throughout Europe's great cities and spas—Bath, Pau, Bad Nauheim, and the like-—where he observed the mannerisms of the titled nobility. Upon his return to the United States, McAllister settled in New York City and married heiress Sarah Taintor Gibbons. Using his wife's wealth and his own social connections (he was related to lobbyist Samuel Cutler Ward, who had married a granddaughter of John Jacob Astor), McAllister sought to become a tastemaker amongst New York's "Knickerbocracy", a collection of old merchant and landowning families who traced their lineage back to the days of colonial New Amsterdam. Above all in McAllister's life, it was his desire for social recognition and what he termed "Tong", the cream of society. Although purported to be an index of New York's best families, McAllister's list was suspiciously top-heavy with nouveau riche industrialists and McAllister's southern allies, seeking a new start in the nation's financial capital after the American Civil War. In his glory, McAllister referred to his patroness, Mrs. Caroline Astor (The Mrs. Astor), as his "Mystic Rose." He was largely responsible for turning the simple seaside resort of Newport, Rhode Island into a mecca for the pleasure-seeking, status-conscious rich of the Gilded Age. Among the undesirables McAllister endeavored to exclude from the charmed circle of the Four Hundred were the many nouveau riche Midwesterners who poured into New York seeking social recognition. McAllister's downfall came when he published a book of memoirs entitled "Society as I Have Found It" in 1890. The book, and his hunger for media attention, did little to endear him to the old guard, who valued their privacy in an era when millionaires were the equivalent of modern movie stars. McAllister died in disgrace while dining alone at New York's Union Club, in January 1895. His funeral, held on February 5, 1895, was well attended by many society figures of the day, including Chauncey Depew and Cornelius Vanderbilt II.CONTENTS:Chapter I. MY FAMILY — Chapter II. LAW AND HOUSEKEEPING — Chapter III. INTRODUCTION TO LONDON SPORTS — Chapter IV. A WINTER IN ITALY — Chapter V. GERMANY AND THE ALPS — Chapter VI. WINTER IN PAU — Chapter VII. HOME AGAIN — Chapter VIII. MERRYMAKING IN THE SOUTH — Chapter IX. LIFE AT NEWPORT — Chapter X. SOCIETY'S LEADERS — Chapter XI. DELIGHTS OF COUNTRY LIFE — Chapter XII. FASHIONABLE PEOPLE — Chapter XIII. COTILLIONS, INDOORS AND OUT — Chapter XIV. AN ERA OF GREAT EXTRAVAGANCE — Chapter XV. ON THE BOX SEAT AT NEWPORT — Chapter XVI. SOCIAL UNITY — Chapter XVII. A GOLDEN AGE OF FEASTING — Chapter XVIII. ENTERING SOCIETY — Chapter XIX. ENTERTAINING — Chapter XX. MADEIRAS — Chapter XXI. CHAMPAGNES AND OTHER WINES — Chapter XXII. DINNERS — Chapter XXIII. COOKS AND CATERING — Chapter XXIV. BALLS — Chapter XXV. FAMOUS NEWPORT BALLS — Chapter XXVI. AN ERA OF EXTRAVAGANCE — Chapter XXVII. WASHINGTON DINNERS AND NEW YORK BALLSEXCERPT:......THE first object to be aimed at is to make your dinners so charming and agreeable that invitations to them are eagerly sought for, and to let all feel that it is a great privilege to dine at your house, where they are sure they will meet only those whom they wish to meet. You cannot instruct people by a book how to entertain. Success in entertaining is accomplished by magnetism and tact, which combined constitute social genius. It is the ladder to social success. If successfully done, it naturally creates jealousy. I have known a family who for years outdid every one in giving exquisite dinners — driven to Europe for the rest of their days, on finding a neighbor outdoing them.

In 1820 my mother, a beautiful girl of eighteen years, was introduced into New York society by her sister, Mrs. Samuel Ward, the wife of Samuel Ward, the banker, of the firm of Prime, Ward & King. She was a great belle in the days when Robert and Richard Ray and Prescott Hall were of the jeunesse dorée of this city. In my opinion, she was the most beautiful, Murillo-like woman I have ever seen, and she was as good as she was beautiful;—an angel in works of charity and sympathy for her race. Charlotte Corday’s picture in the Louvre is a picture of my mother. The likeness arose from the fact that her family were descended on the maternal side from the Corday family of France. This also accounts for all my family being, from time immemorial, good Democrats. No one was too humble to be received and cared for and sympathized with by my mother. Her pastime was by the bedside of hospital patients, and in the schoolroom of her children. She followed the precepts of her mother’s great-grandfather, the Rev. Gabriel Marion (grandfather of Gen. Francis Marion) as expressed in his will to the following effect: “As to the poor, I have always treated them as my brethren. My dear family will, I know, follow my example.” It also contained this item: “I give her, my wife, my new carriage and horses, that she may visit her friends in comfort.” This ancestor came from Rochelle in a large ship chartered for the Carolinas by several wealthy Huguenot families. The Hugers and Trapiers and others came over in the same ship. He did not leave France empty-handed, for on his arrival in Carolina he bought a plantation on Goose Creek, near Charleston, where he was buried.

"Society as I Have Found It" by Ward McAllister. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Excerpt from Society as I Have Found ItPurgatory wit}: Uncle Sam Ward - My Brotaer z'fze Soldier My Broi/zer Me Lawyer.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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McAllister (1827-95) was the self-appointed arbiter of New York society from the 1860s to the early 1890s. He coined the phrase "The Four Hundred" which, according to him, was the number of people in New York who really mattered, and named the official list in the New York Times on February 16 1892. This memoir published in 1890, along with his hunger for media attention, did little to endear him to the old guard who valued their privacy.

Limited to an edition of 400, this is a lovely copy of Ward's memoir numbered and signed on the copyright/limitation page. Per the Columbia Encyclopedia: " Samuel Ward McAllister , 1827-95, American society leader, b. Savannah, Ga. He was a wealthy San Francisco lawyer, who moved 1852 to New York City and married 1853 a millionaire's daughter. He established a second residence at Newport, R.I., and soon became the arbiter of the New York and Newport social set. McAllister chose 1872 the "patriarchs" , a group of leaders from prominent New York families, and sifted out 1892 the Four Hundred- people whom he deemed members of "true"New York society. It was McAllister who groomed the famous Mrs. William Astor for her role as queen of New York society. He wrote Society as I Have Found It 1890 . " xv, i , 469 + 1 pages. original cloth, all edges gilt, lettering and heraldic device gilt. small 4to.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.