What is the correct way to carve a partridge? Can egg whites be used to repair broken china? And how should leeches be applied? First published in 1856, this guide to domestic life is packed with words of wisdom and advice on everything from entertaining and etiquette to grammar and household management, and explains how singing can prevent consumption, how to care for one's hat by beating it with a cane, and, of course, why chess should be avoided at a ball. A fascinating insight into day-to-day life in Victorian Britain, this engrossing book also features dozens of period illustrations, many of which have grown humorous with the passage of time.