Harriet Hubbard Ayer's Book
A Complete and Authentic Treatise on the Laws of Health and Beauty
By Harriet Hubbard Ayer
Published by An Arno Press Book, 1974 Reprint Edition.
Condition: Very Good, clean with a sound binding.
Harriet
Hubbard Ayer's Biography
Harriet Hubbard Ayer was born in Chicago on June
27, 1849. She was married at the age of 16 to Herbert
Ayer, the son of an iron dealer. In 1833 her husband
failed in business, and Harriet was forced to fend for
herself and her two daughters. This was accomplished
with great vigor. After working as both a decorator
and a salesperson, she was able to secure business
backing for the manufacture of a facial crème that
she claimed to have discovered in Paris. She marketed
this crème using the name Madame Recamier, a famous
beauty from the days of Napoleon, and using extensive
advertising in newspapers and magazines, her company,
Recamier Preparations, Inc. became very successful.
Severe problems arose shortly after with one of the
stockholders of the company. Claims and counter claims
were filed between Mrs. Ayer and James Seymour, the
father in law of her daughter Harriet. These actions
culminated in 1893, when her daughter Harriet and her
ex-husband had her committed to a mental asylum. A
year later, through the help of her lawyers and
friends, she was able to procure her release.
In 1896, Mrs. Ayer began to write a column on
beauty advice for the New York World. These columns
received a huge following. In 1899 she published her
book, Harriet Hubbard Ayer's Book: A Complete and
Authentic Treatise on the Laws of Health and Beauty.
Harriet Hubbard Ayer was later reconciled with her
daughters and was recognized for her work. At her
death in 1903 at the age of 54, she was still working
at the World. Her daughter Margaret took over her
column.
She was no suffragist and no feminist, and in fact
facilitated certain myths about beauty, which could be
construed today as doing women a disservice. Yet she
still sparked the interests and confidence of an
emerging class of independent women, encouraging these
women to escape from an old pattern of restriction,
and hence become more independent.
Your book will be carefully gift-wrapped in brown paper and tightly encased with-in a heavy-duty cardboard frame. delivery confirmation is included with every order. Priority and insurance available. I will combine shipping for multiple purchases.
Spellbinding Commitment to Customer Satisfaction
Spellbinding Books is a husband and wife partnership. My wife and I are both bibliophiles and collectors, we understand how important trust and honor is this business. We STAND BY whatever we sell. If a mistake is made on our end WE WILL MAKE IT RIGHT GUARANTEED. Although we are not perfect booksellers, we constantly strive to always sell books in an ethical and professional way. Spellbinding Books is the result of the passion and creativity of my wife and I. Our BEST books are reserved for Ebay, we love writing comprehensive descriptions, taking great photos and giving information regarding the subject matter or author whenever possible. We find satisfaction in uniting great books with our customers. If you need anything let us know.
Return/Refund Policy
We are happy to offer a full refund if item is not as described and is returned within 7 days. Our Word is BINDING!
An Explanation Regarding Condition Ratings
Judgment regarding condition and ratings vary from bookseller to bookseller. We'd like you, the customer, to understand Spellbinding Books condition ratings system so that you feel secure regarding the condition of the books you buy from us. We go out of our way to photograph and describe our books in such a way as to give you the feeling of actually handling the book for yourself.
Fine:
1900-Present
Book is Like New, basically a new book that has been lightly handled, unread.
Dust Jacket appears untouched, perfect.
0 B.C. -1900
Book is in astoundingly superior condition for its 100+ years of age, this rating is RARELY given to books over 100 years old.
Near Fine:
1900-Present
Book has minor signs of wear: bumped corner, rubbing to head of spine and corners, lightly soiled, ect.
Dust Jacket lightly rubbed, very minor signs of wear.
0 B.C.-1900
Book may have some obvious wear, but overall in excellent shape, clean with a sound binding. No damp staining or looseness.
Very Good:
1900-Present
Book is nice looking, doesn't have any flaws that make your heart flutter. Book may have inscription/bookplate, moderate wear to extremities of binding, some soiling to pages, slightly sloped spine.
Dust Jacket: small tears, creases, fading, very small stains, some wear to extremities, possibly price-clipped.
0 B.C. - 1900
Book is sturdy and clean, may have some moderate damage to head and tail of spine, worn extremities, writing on endpapers, some age-toning and or foxing.
Good:
1900-Present
Book is well read and worn, a sturdy copy for the most part, may have a sprung or cracked hinge, splitting along spine, stains/soiling, small amount of writing/underlining.
Dust Jacket: Large tears, worn extremities, chipped, stained ect.
0 B.C. - 1900
Book is intact, no missing pages, binding is loose, may contain some writing/underlining.
Fair:
1900-Present
Book may have any of the following serious defect: broken hinges and spine, water damage, very worn, writing and underlining.
Dust Jacket, may be detached from flaps, stained, worn and torn, large pieces missing.
0 B.C. - 1900
Book may have, detached boards, missing pages, extensive water damage/staining, very loose binding.
Acceptable:
1900 - Present
Books is used for information, not a showcase copy. Books may be worn ex-library copies, weak and detached bindings, writing, missing endpapers.
DJ has serious damage/defects.
0 B.C. - 1900
Book is decrepit, i.e. wasted and weakened by the infirmities of old age.
Atrocious:
You know a book has a serious defect if it has one or more of the following qualities: literally falling apart, fully emerged in a liquid, missing numerous pages WITH text, ect. Fortunately for you and I, these types of books would only appear in my inventory if A.)It was signed or B.)It was ancient or exceptionally Rare.
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