Southern Lady: Gracious Tables: The Perfect Setting for Any Occasion

I love all things beautiful and this book is one of those beautiful things. The photos are inspiring and provide a fair amount of ideas to the one who entertains. Highly recommend.

Although not a Southerner by birth, Phyllis Hoffman's magnificent book makes me long for relocation! I make up reasons to entertain because I love it so much and want for guests to feel pampered, special, and "wowed." Hoffman's book is the ultimate guide to doing just that. The photographs are incredibly stunning and there are so many recipes...good ol' Southern fare presented in 5-star style! (I like to spend more time on the table setting than in the kitchen, so prepared foods from Costco are often mixed in with homemade!) I agree that not everyone who reads this book will necessarily have the cache of heirloom china, flatware and stemware at their disposal. Neither did I; however, I am becoming a collector of various patterns purchased from many different places, some expensive and some not (Mikasa outlet store, Macy's, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, Pier One, Target). I have a healthy mix of china, stoneware, and melamine dishes that can be beautifully mixed and matched. I scour clearance sales in search of interesting stemware to complement the dishes in my stash. Estate sales, garage sales and flea markets are absolute treasure troves! (Where to put all this stuff? It's tucked in every nook and cranny I can find...even in rollout drawers under beds!!!) Hoffman has me hooked, and I am going to order "Gracious Spaces" and subscribe to Southern Lady magazine this afternoon!!!

I purchased this book after reading reviews of it on amazon.com and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK. It is everything previously said and more. First, her dinnerware is beautiful - from the simple to the extravagant. All of her table arrangements are fresh and new ideas - not the same old stuff seen in other tabletop books I own. And, even though she may use expensive things (not all are), her ideas and design can easily be duplicated with what you may own. I am a dish fanatic not a cook. But, I was even interested in checking out the recipes and the beautifully displayed food. Then, near the end of the book, she has added beautiful and quaint drawings of the different types of dinnerware, explaining what each piece/shape is used for, e.g. cream soup cup and saucer...bouillon cup and saucer...luncheon plate...fruit saucer, etc. The next bonus is a section on artful flowers - again, designs that can easily be imitated/duplicated. Everything in the book has that "welcoming" feeling - even the formal table settings. If you are a dinnerware aficionado, you must have this book. I love it and know I will reference it frequently.

Great book lots of ideas and recipes for entertainment. Came quickly and in great condition.

I have a number of tablescaping books, but this is one of my favorites to which I return often. I love the combination of recipes, photos of tables, descriptions of different types of place pieces, etc. The only thing I wish it included was a listing of pattern names of pieces used in the photos!

My daughter had asked for this book. It is a collection of table settings and recipes with good color photographs, not just pictures of table settings. It also includes ideas for flower arrangements. It seemed to me to be quite general and, despite the title, not exclusively Southern in tone and presentation.

The photos in this book given both beautiful and detailed examples of a fine and well dressed table. I enjoy setting my table for display and there are many ideas I have used from this book. I got this book at a bery good price. I highly recommend this book.

Anyone who loves or appreciates a beautifully set table will enjoy this book. I have only looked at the photos so far but there are a lot of those and they are all beautifully captured. I have gotten ideas for my upcoming dinners which is what I was hoping for...

Great book, excellent photography, diverse number of setting and excellent guidance and insight to the Southern way of living - interesting and worth purchasing

Excellent book for entertaining. ******