
The Extra Woman
How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It
Joanna Scutts(Author)
Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published on 5. December 2017
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-63149-273-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Extra Woman transports us to the turbulent and transformative years between suffrage and the sixties, when, thanks to the glamorous grit of one Marjorie Hillis, single women boldly claimed and enjoyed their independence. Gone were the days of the flirty flapper; ladies of Depression-era New York embraced a new icon: the independent working woman. Hillis was already a success at Vogue when she published a radical self-help book in 1936: Live Alone and Like It: A Guide for the Extra Woman. With Dorothy Parker-esque wit, she urged spinsters, divorcee and "old maids" to shed derogatory labels and take control of their lives, and her philosophy became a phenomenon.
In a style as irresistible as Hillis's own, Joanna Scutts explores the revolutionary years following the Live-Alone movement, when the status of these "brazen ladies" peaked and then collapsed. By painting the wider picture, Scutts reveals just how influential Hillis's career was, spanning decades and numerous best sellers. As she refashioned her message with every life experience, Hillis proved that guts, grace and perseverance would always be in vogue.
In a style as irresistible as Hillis's own, Joanna Scutts explores the revolutionary years following the Live-Alone movement, when the status of these "brazen ladies" peaked and then collapsed. By painting the wider picture, Scutts reveals just how influential Hillis's career was, spanning decades and numerous best sellers. As she refashioned her message with every life experience, Hillis proved that guts, grace and perseverance would always be in vogue.
Reviews / Votes
"Scutts is, unarguably, a careful and thoughtful author." -- Times Literary Supplement ".. fascinating and hugely entertaining book..." -- The Irish Times "The Extra Woman follows Hillis' own fascinating life as a 'Live Aloner' against a wider backdrop of what life was like for single women between getting the vote and getting the Pill. A fascinating read." -- Red Magazine "Scutts's book, written with an enticing no-nonsense clarity that is reminiscent of Hillis's original, acts as both a biography of Hillis and paints a fascinating portrait of the cultural context surrounding her work." -- The NationalMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
WW Norton & Co
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
8 pages of illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 146 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
488 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63149-273-0 (9781631492730)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Joanna Scutts
The Extra Woman
How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It
E-Book
11/2017
Liveright
€25.99
Available for download
Person
Joanna Scutts is the inaugural Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Women's History at the New-York Historical Society and a contributor to the New Republic, the Guardian, and other publications. She lives in New York.