Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights

Encyclopedia of the Exquisite has ratings and 80 reviews. Wendy Darling said: Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights.
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Bluestocking Salute

Please enter the message. Please verify that you are not a robot. Would you also like to submit a review for this item? You already recently rated this item. A veritable cabinet of curiosities. Anecdotes about a wide range of subjects of particular interest to the author, the exotic and the elegant, arranged alphabetically though I was very surprised and disappointed to find no Z!

How could she not include Z?? Really great fun — a book to read at a leisurely pace, dipping into from time to time. Jan 05, Alison rated it really liked it Shelves: An encyclopedia of charming delights, and the folklore and history that accompanies them. Dec 30, Ann rated it really liked it. Alli gave me this delightful book for Christmas, and I have greatly enjoyed it.

The authoress subtitles this book "An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights" and points out that "exquisite" comes from the Latin verb exquirere, to search out, or to seek, or as the OED explains it, "It means uncommon delicacies, carefully selected, and the kind of beauty that can excite intense delight or admiration. The subject Alli gave me this delightful book for Christmas, and I have greatly enjoyed it.

The subjects are presented in alphabetical order and include, for example, ogi the Japanese folding fan , Claude Glass a convex hand mirror used to view landscapes. I was particularly interested in quintessence.

As Jenkins said, the alchemists' quest wasn't a hungry hunt for gold as commonly understood but rather they were after "quintessence," which literally means the fifth element--one beyond air, water, earth and fire--an "elusive mattter betwen spirit and matter that permeated all life. All in all a very interesting book which I will enjoy rereading. Feb 20, Rae Ganci Hammers rated it liked it Shelves: Not meant to be read cover-to-cover, but rather, to be thumbed through when one is struck with ennui, boredom, or the occasional spark of curiosity.

Some critics will surely say, "She left out this! Jenkins' book reminds us that even some of the most common things that we encounter in day-to-day life, like sequins, hot-air balloons, red lipstick, tassels, diaries, and omelets have their own exquisite history and that once upon a time they were new, novel and less common than they are today.

Some of my favorite vignettes included lucky crickets, elephantine architecture, Marilyn Monroe's sultry high-heeled saunter, and Isaac Newton's alchemy. An excellent addition to any collection of image-heavy coffee table books or gift for the curious at heart. Feb 07, Nomad rated it it was amazing Shelves: I recieved many miscellany books such as this recently and can't really figure out where to put them on my shelves, so for the time being Whimsical history yes, but history nevertheless.

Alright, so this was an absolute treat. I honestly believe that it is impossible to be in a bad mood when you put this book down. It's that infectious and happy a kind of a book. Recently I started reading romance genre books a bit and it lead me to these sorts of books. The w I recieved many miscellany books such as this recently and can't really figure out where to put them on my shelves, so for the time being The whimsical romance of the everyday.

When did all that is considered romantic start being about brooding, jerky guys and weak women? When did we and I stop seeing the romantic in the small things? Yes, I consider it both romantic and whimsical to read a book that tells me about the history of sequins, glass doorknobs, kimonos, silk fans, tea, champagne, lingerie, and even the history of words such as enthusiasm.

I was told by my spouse that I had a ghost of smile on my face the entire time I would be sitting and reading this book. We forget so much about how many wonderful objects and notions are part of our everyday life, it's nice to be reminded. Aug 11, Violet rated it it was amazing.

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If you love fun, bizarre historical facts, this is the book for you. It has brief entries about things throughout history that were created for beauty's sake. Some are small things like origami, some are entire buildings or magical gardens. Particularly interesting are the stories about chopines and the art of hot air ballooning. This is a great bedside reader since you can pick it up and read a single entry without a big investment in time.


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A most enjoyable read! Dec 18, Treasure rated it it was amazing Shelves: An excellent gift book, this reference guide covers the history and use of lovely things, such as champagne, bubble baths, red lipstick, and badminton, with fun anecdotes and occasionally salacious details. Easy to pick up and put down, flip through, or settle into, this is ideal for a secret santa, coworker, or gift for a woman or sensitive man when you have no idea what to get them.

Must be read under a cozy blanket with a cup of tea. May 19, Bronwyn rated it really liked it Shelves: This was a treasure trove of wonderful things, ranging from the well-known to the obscure. Some entries, such as the essays corresponding to 'Tempest' and 'Solteties' left me breathless with delight and aching to learn more.

I greatly enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in history. Sep 16, Annie rated it it was amazing. A wonderful, inspiring, elegantly-written little tome of information. I loved that I could read a few chapters, put it down, and then pick it up again to be inspired anew by something I'd never heard of before.

I am definitely keeping this as a reference book, and also giving it to friends! Oct 08, SixBeforeLunch rated it it was amazing Shelves: The perfect book to accompany a cup of tea and a cozy chair. The format makes it easy to dip in and out of, but I ended up reading it more or less all the way through in order because each entry is so interesting that you just want to keep reading. May 02, Sherri rated it liked it.

Clever idea with lots of fun, if not useless facts. Just went on a little long. It might be best as a coffee table sort of book rather just sitting down and reading. Jun 09, Whitney rated it liked it. But it's well researched and interesting fluff.

Encyclopedia of the Exquisite by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins | leondumoulin.nl

It would have made a good vacation book. Oct 17, John rated it it was ok. This is a gorgeously designed book about a topic I'm interested in--decadence, the extraordinary, unusual curious etc. However, rather than oddities and sophistication--the book comes off a bit unbalanced. Sure, there are few recipes for really rich dishes, the idea of keeping a pet cricket as background ambiance, milk baths and a brief mention of the flaneur. Feb 18, Rebecca marked it as to-read Shelves: Thanks to Alison for mentioning this at book club -- it's lovely.

Subtitled "An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights," the author's introduction talks about her years writing for a slick magazine. It's about how knowing the royal lineage of a common Bartlett pear or the origi Thanks to Alison for mentioning this at book club -- it's lovely. It's about how knowing the royal lineage of a common Bartlett pear or the origins of the top hat can make you feel rich, and about how learning the history of the Japanese kimono or of confetti can turn the world vast and strange. These entries sprang directly from a file I kept on my desk, bulging with scribbled scraps, Xeroxed articles, quotes, and curious images I'd come across -- anything that lit a spark, or created 'intense delight.

If I was having a bad day, flipping through the file could sweep me into a dreamy demimonde where things didn't seem so bad.

Encyclopedia of the exquisite : an anecdotal history of elegant delights

May 04, Donna rated it it was amazing. This was a fascinating book. When I picked it up, I equated "exquisite" with "beautiful. Each entry is packed full of interesting facts and for me, anyway, it explained some of those everyday things that I never knew where they originated. The word "hello," for instance, has quite a history and the quadrille naturaliste, a wild, uninhibited, scandalous and very popular dance morphed into the can can. Did you know Thomas Jefferson coined the term pell mell to differ This was a fascinating book.

Did you know Thomas Jefferson coined the term pell mell to differentiate between the very socially correct way English banquets were seated and the way guests were seated at a White House banquet, non-preferentially, without order or rank and royally ticked off the British ambassador? There are lots of tidbits like this and associations that I would never have made. Jul 20, Tabor added it Shelves: Whimsical and a delightful anecdotal encyclopedia. I was particularly fond of how the author focused on a handful of instances to illustrate the delight and often the most outlandish.

The only issue with this approach is the delight could seem insignificant. Such was the case of love letters, where Catherine the Great was used as the sole example. For th Whimsical and a delightful anecdotal encyclopedia.

Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights

For the plethora of love letters that have been sent throughout the ages, this entry seemed to belittle the importance of love letters. To the point where I thought "Is that really all? May 06, Debby Debryana rated it it was amazing. I like how the author shows me through her writings that even the simplest things in our life can be appreciated as an exquisite thing. For those who are curious about the world or looking for inspiration, I guess this book will be perfect for you. Reading this book surely is a delightful experience. Feb 05, Rebecca Huston rated it really liked it Shelves: It's hard to define this book beyond that it's a collection of things.

Very light, rather fluffy, but fun to read through; it's the sort of book to dip into now and then, rather than just read through in a sitting or two. For the longer review, please go here: Jan 17, Denise rated it liked it Shelves: I am very fond of "cabinet of curiosities" style books, of which this is one, but I feel though this book is in some very desperate need of pictures. I found myself time and time again having to go to Wikipedia to see things that had been described to me, which was annoying.

However, the extensive bibliography at the end is a refreshing inclusion in a non-academic book such as this, and much appreciated. Sep 25, Jessie rated it it was ok. This is a great "coffee table" read but I scored it low due to lack of photos for entries that would have benefited from it. For example, the book has an entry about the infamous beauty of Countess de Castiglione and talks about several portraits so I had to stop reading and google her for the record, she's beautiful.