Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights

I join all the other reviewers in my praise of this completely charming book. I think any smart, curious woman will love it, just as she will love the author's motivation, imagination, curation, and wit. Smart, curious men will surely like it too; I detect a tiny bit of gender role socialization in the choice of entries, but nothing of the bluntly stupid "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" kind. For entries about which I, too, know a little something, I am lost in admiration at Kerwin Jenkins' ability to reduce accurately researched history to the mot both bon and juste. If I find myself nodding in agreement about the subjects with which I am familiar, I find myself equally willing to trust her to tell me all about new things (who knew that the first Bartlett pear was called Le Bon Chretien?)While I have had the book, I've delighted in dipping in it -- just letting it fall open, and reading the entry I first see. Lately, I've started reading it systematically from A to Z, and that is just charming. Each entry is brief; a quick look is enough to give one a burst of whimsy -- like a little mental chocolate. The book is wondrously informative, lightly witty and always generous in its treatment of its subjects.Kudos, too, to the publisher, Nan A. Talese, for giving the book such a wonderful physical appearance! Savoring the fine font and creamy, deckle-edged pages is an atavistic pleasure in these electronic days -- and a grand example of why human beings still want and need real books.I think this book would make the most delightful birthday or Christmas gift for any literate person with both taste, and a taste for indulging in the wonder of our world!

I received this book as a birthday present from my father!!! And it's simply delightful! Reading it could compare to taste a good glass of wine . Jessica Kerwin saids " I've often found myself defending frivolity when in serious -minded company" . And That's what I feel too! I always find myself a Little bit strange because I do not used to prefer too much Outdoor activities. I always ask myself how can I love Painters from the 18 and 19 century , gaze their paints full of colors that ressemble to nature,but prefer a dinner or a Lunch in a New York city rooftop instead of some alfresco activities . When I read this book about the history of Alfresco, I Smile at myself because outdoors /indoors activities follow a history culture pattern according to time, architecture and technology that shapes our habits . What Counts at all no matter time and space is the exquisite spirit to enjoy every simple moment of life! thank you Jessica Kerwin For this book. It's like a Collection of pearls!!!!

This book is a nice one to pick up and read a few pages at a time and skip around- each item is followed by a page or two explanation of its origins etc so it's nice to just page through and not read front-to-back. There are items you'd expect in a book with this title: "lace", "champagne", "tea", "masquerades", "nectar and ambrosia" but then there are items like "hello", "talk", "subaquatic", and "crickets" (the bug, not the sport) that seem kind of out of place. The insects for sale as snake food in the pet store are considered exquisite? When I think of exquisite luxurious feminine objects, crickets just don't hold the same appeal as perfume or folding fans and blancmange. Then there are items that just seem to be space-fillers: "lightning" (wait, doesn't that belong in a third-grade science textbook?), cloud type classification (see previous), "velocity" (maybe more fifth-grade science book) "miracles" (really? does literate human not know what a miracle is?) and "twilight" (again, is this a dictionary?). There are some sections in here that are informative and fun to read full of lovely facts, but I thought the entire book would be such, not just a few parts. All in all, I wish I had saved my money (and the whole selling point of "coffee table book" is kind of a stretch- it's physically a pretty small book, not the large glossy sort of thing you picture on a coffee table).

I saw this book reviewed in the WSJournal and it seemed like it might be the answer to Christmas gifts for several artistically inclined folks on my list.My mother-in-law is a successful artist and her style is definitely eclectic. She is a voracious reader. My son recently proposed to his girlfriend who is a lovely young woman who works supporting the arts and has a very strong artistic talent and interest. Due to distance, we haven't seen them as much as we'd like so I was kind of still on the learning curve as to her likes/dislikes.Solution: Bought two copies; looked them over when they got here and thought they exceeded my expectations.Result: Two home runs! Both recipients were enamored with their gifts! I think I would have enjoyed reading it also, but they were gift wrapped quickly upon arrival so only a cursory glance was possible. I may have some time in my schedule after the Super Bowl & March Madness so I may ask to borrow one back.

I (wrongly) assumed that a book titled Encyclopedia of the Exquisite might be lovely. The book arrived today and looks like a BCE, although it is not labeled as such. Sloppy looking deckle edges and non-acid free paper are disappointing to me, as I appreciate the feel of a good book as much as the content.

I love this book! It's a very nice read. It's relaxing and interesting. The cover is absolutely beautiful, as are the illustrations inside. Some parts do read like an actual encyclopadia so I had to take a few breaks. But most entries are interesting and worth a read.

Excellent. Good delivery time and exactly as described , thank you.

Selten passt ein Photo einer Autorin (man findet es auf der hinteren Innenseite des Schutzumschlages) so gut zu einem Buch wie in diesem Fall. Eine aparte, elegante und offenbar alterlose Frau schaut hier ganz unprätentiös in die Kamera, natürlich in Schwarzweiß, und sie trägt ein offenbar recht einfaches Kleid - was aber diesen gewissen, etwas britischen Stil hat, ohne dabei unbezahlbar zu wirken. So sehen gebildete Genussmenschen aus. Und damit wären wir dann auch bei den Inhalten des Buches. Die Autorin spart sich nämlich die übliche Markenschlacht, das Namedropping, die Rekordpreise oder Miniverfügbarkeiten, mit denen man meint, schöne Dinge in der heutigen Zeit sonst so vermarkten zu müssen. Eigentlich hätte das alles nämlich nahe gelegen. Die Autorin schreibt nämlich für Vogue, was davor auch schon mal Herausgeber von Frauenzeitschriften, und die leben ja bekanntlich davon, dass sie das mit dem Markenwahnsinn bis zum Exzess betreiben.Hier dagegen geht es um die Frage, ob man ein wirklich gutes Omelett am besten aus komplett verquirlten oder nur sachte vermengten Eiern herstellt - wobei letzteres den Charm hat, dass Weiß und Gelb eben unterscheidbar bleiben, und die Konsistenz eben auch besser ist. Nicht dass ich das jetzt selbst schon versucht hätte. Aber allein das Streben nach der optimalen Form für so etwas eigentlich ganz Einfaches muss geradezu meine Sympathie finden. Der wahre Luxus liegt eben nicht in der Preisgestaltung oder dem Aufwand, mit dem etwas geschaffen wird. Es liegt vielmehr in der Liebe, die man in ein Objekt investiert.Mit einer solchen Liebe ist dann auch dieses Buch gestaltet. Keine Photos, dafür ein paar schöne Zeichnungen, natürlich nur in ganz seichten Pastelltönen. Schutzumschlag und Cover dahinter nehmen Motive aus dem Fin de Siecle auf. Die Themen sind eher ein wenig abseitig, sie sind in Frauenzeitschriften jedenfalls nur selten zu finden. Gut recherchiert worden ist hier in vielen der Texte, so findet sich zum Thema Obsidian nicht nur die übliche Story über die Verwendung des Materials bei den Azteken, sondern auch noch eine schöne Geschichte um den frühneuzeitlichen Magier John Dee. Und statt über moderne Modells zu schreiben, findet sich hier ein Text über die Modelle, die den Künstlern im Jazz Age Modell standen, und die solch entzückende Namen wie Kiki de Montparnasse trugen. Und selbst wenn mir das Baden in Milch nur eine mäßig gute Idee erscheint, hier liest sich der Text darüber dennoch phantastisch, zumahl dieser gleich fast zweitausend Jahre der Menschheitsgeschichte umfasst.Vielleicht ist das kein Buch, welches man am Stück lesen muss. Liest man aber immer mal wieder einen der Artikel so zwischendurch, so rückt es ein paar Kleinigkeiten im Leben wieder gerade.

Un libro muy bonito, con una edición muy cuidada. El interior tiene ilustraciones a dos tintas. Un buen regalo para personas interesadas en el tema, que daría para un libro mucho más largo. Me ha gustado mucho la extensa bibliografía citada al final, que anima a seguir investigando temas pintorescos.

E' stato un regalo per la mia fidanzata dopo che ha creato una lista dei desideri interminabile. Ne è stata soddisfatta.Non chiedetemi, però, che trama abbia. Io e la letteratura siamo opposti che non si attraggono. :-)