January 16, 2007 Author to Discuss Classic Love Advice Feb. 14

Ever wonder what romance and courtship was like in the 1880s, 1920s or the 1960s? On Valentine’s Day, at the Library of Congress, author and advice expert Abigail Grotke will discuss matters of the heart, then and now.

Grotke, author of “Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage: Classic Advice for Contemporary Dilemmas,” will talk at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 14, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed.

In her talk, Grotke, who is a digital projects coordinator at the Library of Congress, will take a step back in time and show how classic advice books from the 1820s to the 1970s can help solve modern relationship dilemmas.

The Library will supplement the discussion with a display of books on etiquette, advice and the food of love, all from the Library’s collections. In addition, chocolate confections will be available for sampling.

Since 1998, Grotke, known as “Miss Abigail,” has provided classic advice to readers of her popular Web site, “Miss Abigail’s Time Warp Advice,” at www.missabigail.com. In giving advice, Grotke draws on her personal collection of more than 1,000 classic advice books (from 1822 to 1978), which she started collecting more than 20 years ago.

Previously, Grotke wrote a high-profile weekly column for the London Times magazine. In 2004, she was named one of Library Journal’s 55 “movers and shakers.”