How to Be a Deb's Mum
Memoir Social History Biography British Humor Etiquette Coming of Age Marriage & Family Mid-Century Nostalgia
First editions of Petronella Portobello’s 1957 social satire How to Be a Deb’s Mum are highly sought-after by collectors of mid-century British humor and etiquette literature. This vintage hardcover, complete with its original dust-jacket, captures the tail-end of the debutante season when aristocratic mothers steered daughters through the marriage market of post-war London. Portobello’s tongue-in-cheek guide—part memoir, part manual—charts her own transformation from reluctant chaperone to savvy “Deb’s Mum,” offering a priceless window onto class, courtship, and consumerism before the Swinging Sixties swept it all away.
What makes this copy extra appealing is the personal inscription on the front endpaper: an unidentified hand has added a witty note that only enhances the book’s intimate, conversational tone. While the jacket shows the expected edge-wear and a few chips for a 66-year-old volume, the binding remains tight and square, ensuring the book can still be read and displayed with pride. For social historians, the marginal stains and occasional mark are evidence that previous owners consulted these pages while navigating their own season of parties, fittings, and presentation at Court.
Collectors love Portobello because she combines Nancy Mitford’s light touch with genuine reportage; her lists of “must-have” accessories, seating-chart diplomacy, and coded RSVP phrases read like an anthropological field guide to a vanished world. At the same time, modern mothers will recognize the universal push-pull between launching a child and letting go. Whether you shelve it beside The Season for reference or gift it to a fan of Downton Abbey, this inscribed first printing delivers both nostalgic charm and sharp commentary, making it a conversation-starting centerpiece for any vintage biography or British etiquette collection.
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