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Newspaper Article
HOW TO PARTY ; THE ADVICE OF A CONFIDENT HOSTESS IS NEVER DATED
2005
Overview
HOW TO DO IT, OR THE LIVELY ART OF ENTERTAINING By Elsa Maxwell (Rizzoli, $26) Elsa Maxwell was the hostess with the mostest for much of the first half of the 20th century. Brimming with self- confidence, she never for a moment doubted herself, even though she was a high school dropout and a self-described \"short, fat, homely piano player from Keokuk, Iowa, with no money or background.\" Maxwell lived for parties of all types and sizes, as long as they were amusing. She encouraged postwar hostesses to throw open their drawing room doors and think outside the box when it came to entertaining. Her How to Do It guide to party planning, first published in 1956 and long out of print, has just been reissued - and not a moment too soon. The book is an amusing, rousing prescription for bringing vitality to even the dullest of parties. Maxwell provides an entertaining account of great hostesses through the ages, herself included. She proudly calls these famous among the famous \"Renewers of Hearts.\" But what of the average bon vivant? Maxwell assures her readers that parties are not just for the rich and royal: \"The high and mighty have no monopoly on pleasure. Far from it. In the final analysis, it is not the who but the why that counts in entertaining. It is not the money you spend nor the prestige you may reap - it is what is in your heart. More, it is what you leave in the hearts of others.\" Maxwell was nothing if not original. She believed that \"parties should surprise, astonish, and delight.\" She drops into the mix the names of kings, queens, statesmen, Hollywood moguls, and movie stars as she describes with zeal their antics at her treasure hunts, painting parties, May Day celebrations, and even a barnyard party held at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan, complete with guests dressed as farmers and dairy maids, full-size bales of hay, and lifelike papier-mache cows that dispensed champagne. There were also hogs and, of course, a hog caller. Maxwell's advice for throwing a party is timeless, wise, and at times hilarious. She's ruthless when it comes to advising about children performing for guests, gate-crashers, intimate dinners that turn into small seated nightmares, getting guests to go home, and strong-arm tactics to show a lethal guest to the door while the party is in full swing.
Publisher
Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC
