This 1917 book “A Practical Handbook of Pertinent Expressions” features many expressions you didn’t know you needed but that will enrich your life significantly

“I can’t understand how I ever ventured into society or set pen to paper without this book (453 pp, 1917): “A Practical Handbook of Pertinent Expressions, Striking Similes, Literary, Commercial, Conversational, and Oratorical Terms, for the Embellishment of Speech and Literature”” writes @Henriettari over on Twitter.

One more, which I think works rather well as a found poem pic.twitter.com/4KrVbPFoVY

— Henrietta Rose-Innes (@HenriettaRI) April 2, 2018

I like, also, that in the intro Mr Grenville instructs his readers to mark in pencil the phrases that they find particularly illuminating, and the person who owned my copy in 1917 has diligently done just that: "Wholesale friction and discontent" …

— Henrietta Rose-Innes (@HenriettaRI) April 2, 2018

And lastly: for ease of use, the book is divided into "Useful", "Felicitous", "Significant" and "Impressive Phrases", among other convenient categories.

— Henrietta Rose-Innes (@HenriettaRI) April 2, 2018

And last-lastly: interestingly, it was clearly a very successful self-improvement racket. Mr Kleiser wrote a LOT of weighty & edifying books. And this one was already on its 18th edition, in the year of publication! (re. yr comment, @tufnelljimmy) pic.twitter.com/nLa8ArRA4V

— Henrietta Rose-Innes (@HenriettaRI) April 3, 2018

This is fun! So glad people are enjoying it. I recently found the book while packing up my late mother's library; it must've come from my grandmother, who was 17 in 1917. Though not sure why she had an American book. My mother would've enjoyed everybody's interest so much.

— Henrietta Rose-Innes (@HenriettaRI) April 3, 2018

'Her lips hardened' This book should have its own Twitter account.

— Matt (@EboracumPrince) April 2, 2018