What Would Mrs. Astor Do? Audiobook By Cecelia Tichi cover art

What Would Mrs. Astor Do?

The Essential Guide to the Manners and Mores of the Gilded Age (Washington Mews Books, Book 5)

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What Would Mrs. Astor Do?

By: Cecelia Tichi
Narrated by: Cecelia Tichi, Carol Monda, Chris Andrew Ciulla
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About this listen

Mark Twain called it the Gilded Age. Between 1870 and 1900, the United States’ population doubled, accompanied by an unparalleled industrial expansion and an explosion of wealth. America was the foremost nation of the world, and New York City was its beating heart. There, the richest and most influential—Thomas Edison, J. P. Morgan, Edith Wharton, the Vanderbilts, Andrew Carnegie, and more—became icons, whose comings and goings were breathlessly reported in the papers of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. It was a time of abundance, but also bitter rivalries. The Old Money titans found themselves besieged by a vanguard of New Money interlopers eager to gain entrée into their world. Into this morass of money and desire stepped Caroline Astor.

An Old Money heiress of the first order, Mrs. Astor was convinced that she was uniquely qualified to uphold the manners and mores of 19th century America. “What would Mrs. Astor do?” became the question every social climber sought to answer. This work serves as a guide to manners as well as an insight to Mrs. Astor’s personal diary and address book. Ceceilia Tichi invites us on a tour of the Gilded Age, transporting listeners to New York at its most fashionable.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 NYU Press (P)2025 Leonardo Audio
Americas Entertainment & Celebrities United States Women Money New York Gilded Age Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"This illustrated Gilded Age etiquette guide offers “proof that sliding around the naughty edges of society can be as informative as it is entertaining.” (Alida Becker, The New York Times Books Review)

“This was a society founded on exclusivity, with floods of tears from those who didn't receive an invitation to Mrs. Astor's annual ball.” — Anne de Courcy, The Wall Street Journal

“Presented with a breezy authority that keeps the pages turning.” —Publishers WeeklyPublished by Leonardo Audio. Narrated by the Author, Carol Monda and Chris Andrew Ciulla.

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A thoroughly researched and documented discussion of manners, mores, and progress at the turn of the century. All the narrators share the story affably, although the bulk of the book is carried by Carol Monda who effortlessly carries the day.

For Gilded Age Fans - An Excellent Reference

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