The House Servant's Directory

An African American Butler's 1827 Guide

Nonfiction, Home & Garden, The Home, Cleaning & Caretaking, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies
Cover of the book The House Servant's Directory by Robert Roberts, Dover Publications
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Roberts ISBN: 9780486149431
Publisher: Dover Publications Publication: September 21, 2012
Imprint: Dover Publications Language: English
Author: Robert Roberts
ISBN: 9780486149431
Publisher: Dover Publications
Publication: September 21, 2012
Imprint: Dover Publications
Language: English

"In order to get through your work in proper time, you should make it your chief study to rise early in the morning; for an hour before the family rises is worth more to you than two after they are up."
So begins Robert Roberts' The House Servant's Directory, first published in 1827 and the standard for household management for decades afterward. A classic survey of work, home life, and race relations in early America, the book was the result of many years of Roberts' personal and professional experiences. One of the first books written by an African-American and published by a commercial press, this manual for butlers and waiters offers keen insight into the social milieu, hierarchy, and maintenance of the antebellum manor.
As a servant to a prominent New England family, Roberts provided valuable insights into what was expected of domestic servants. His book contains an abundance of instructions for successfully completing household chores as well as suggestions for properly cleaning furniture and clothing; and for buying, preparing, and serving food and drink for dinner parties of all sizes (much of which is still useful information today). The text also contains suggestions for arranging servants' work routines, and advice to heads of families on how best to manage their domestic help -- extraordinary recommendations for master-servant relationships and highly unusual for the time.
Among the most famous of etiquette books to provide instruction on proper behavior for domestic servants in the early nineteenth century, Roberts' Directory remains a critical primary source in sociology and African-American history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"In order to get through your work in proper time, you should make it your chief study to rise early in the morning; for an hour before the family rises is worth more to you than two after they are up."
So begins Robert Roberts' The House Servant's Directory, first published in 1827 and the standard for household management for decades afterward. A classic survey of work, home life, and race relations in early America, the book was the result of many years of Roberts' personal and professional experiences. One of the first books written by an African-American and published by a commercial press, this manual for butlers and waiters offers keen insight into the social milieu, hierarchy, and maintenance of the antebellum manor.
As a servant to a prominent New England family, Roberts provided valuable insights into what was expected of domestic servants. His book contains an abundance of instructions for successfully completing household chores as well as suggestions for properly cleaning furniture and clothing; and for buying, preparing, and serving food and drink for dinner parties of all sizes (much of which is still useful information today). The text also contains suggestions for arranging servants' work routines, and advice to heads of families on how best to manage their domestic help -- extraordinary recommendations for master-servant relationships and highly unusual for the time.
Among the most famous of etiquette books to provide instruction on proper behavior for domestic servants in the early nineteenth century, Roberts' Directory remains a critical primary source in sociology and African-American history.

More books from Dover Publications

Cover of the book A Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book The First Men in the Moon by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Rose in Bloom by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Games and Puzzles for English as a Second Language by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Elementary Wave Optics by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Einstein on Cosmic Religion and Other Opinions and Aphorisms by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Time and Free Will by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book The Great Illusion by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book The Desert and the Sown by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book 1100 Decorative French Ironwork Designs by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Are You Thinking Again, Dear? by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Adventures of Don Quixote by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Indian Sign Language by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book The Stanford Mathematics Problem Book by Robert Roberts
Cover of the book Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Dover Reader by Robert Roberts
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy