The House Servant's Directory Hardcover - 1997
by Robert Roberts; Graham Russell Hodges
From the rear cover
Robert Roberts' The House Servant's Directory, first published in 1827 and the standard for household management for decades afterward, is remarkable for several reasons: It is one of the first books written by an African American and issued by a commercial press, and it was written while Roberts (ca. 1780-1860) was in the employ of Christopher Gore (1758-1827), a former senator from and governor of Massachusetts (and ancestor of the novelist Gore Vidal). Gore Place, where Roberts worked from 1825 to 1827, is one of the grandest neoclassical mansions built in America. Not only was the extraordinary set of recommendations that Roberts made about relations between servants and their masters unique for its time, but his many recipes for cleaning furniture and clothing and for purchasing, preparing, and serving food and drink for small and large dinners are also still useful today. As portrayed in Graham Hodges' introduction, Roberts' own story is a unique window into the work habits and thoughts of America's domestic workers and into antebellum African American politics. Of particular note is Roberts' contribution to the emergence of new self-perceptions of black manliness. Written at a time when male Americans in general were reconsidering the construction of masculinity, Roberts' advice to his fellow servants fostered black dignity for work that few felt merited respect, and his counsel to employers on proper treatment of their servants insisted on their humanity and respect for their skills.
Details
- Title The House Servant's Directory
- Author Robert Roberts; Graham Russell Hodges
- Binding Hardcover
- Pages 240
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Routledge
- Date 1997-10-31
- Features Annotated, Bibliography, Concordance, Index
- ISBN 9780765601148 / 0765601141
- Weight 0.84 lbs (0.38 kg)
- Dimensions 8.55 x 5.71 x 0.85 in (21.72 x 14.50 x 2.16 cm)
- Ages 18 to 18 years
- Grade levels 13 - 13
-
Themes
- Ethnic Orientation: African American
- Library of Congress subjects Recipes - United States, Domestics - United States - Handbooks,
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 97024310
- Dewey Decimal Code 640.46
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The House Servant's Directory: Or, a Monitor for Private Families : Comprising Hints on the Arrangement and Performance of Servants' Work
by Roberts, Robert/ Hodges, Graham Russell (Editor)
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The House Servant's Directory
by Roberts, Robert; Hodges, Graham Russell
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