We're a fan of the author Edith Wharton, having read most all of her 'popular' novels including Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, The Custom of the Country, Old New York and The Buccaneers. We'll break out our DVD copies of the last book cited and Age of Innocence in the next few days, and celebrate, perhaps wearing a Victorian black jet beaded jacket we found in a vintage shop in Connecticut.

For a birthday present, we requested a copy of Wharton's Decoration of Houses, a classic. Another present to myself was a version of Italian Villas and Their Gardens. And, we attended a dramatic reading of Wharton's works in the drawing room of her home in Massachusetts.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the events and a competition The Mount has arranged for a further step back into the turn of the century that so epitomized the world Ms. Wharton profiled and explored.

Edith's home in Lenox, Massachusetts,  presents ways to celebrate Wharton's birthday. Please note that the Mount, although welcoming visitors daily, but the house, stables, and bookstore are open from May 5th through October, only. The grounds are open to the public at no charge throughout the winter. Woodlands can be explored on foot, snowshoes,  cross-country skis or while walking your dog::

"We’re inviting celebrations around the globe to honor this amazing woman who continues today to inspire and delight legions of readers, writers, entertainers, and designers."

"As part of the birthday festivities, we invite you to submit your birthday wishes to Edith. And to make it more fun, we’d love for you to tell us — or better yet, show us — how Edith might be celebrating her birthday in 2012."

"Would she be reading on a Kindle on a Florida beach? Would she be entertaining friends with sushi, sake, and soccer games on the Wii? Maybe she’d be practicing  yoga or learning a new hip-hop routine. Remember, Edith wasn’t a prude then — and she certainly wouldn’t be a prude now. She’d be adventurous and open minded, and willing to embrace new opportunities."

"We welcome videos, photographs, slide-shows, essays, poems … You name it, as long as it’s a celebratory shout-out to Edith Wharton created in good, clean fun.  Our goal is to collect 1,000 birthday wishes, sparking wide conversation about one of the nation’s most accomplished and acclaimed writers whose talents cascaded far beyond literature.  (Of course, you’re also welcome to take a more serious tone with your birthday wishes, explaining why Edith Wharton still matters to you or to the world at large.)"

"Here’s how to submit your creations:

• On The Mount Facebook page (click on the "Happy Birthday Edith" tab on the left side of the page)
• Via email to info@edithwharton.org, with a link to your online birthday wishes
• Via YouTube, using the title “Happy Birthday Edith Wharton” (you might also want to send an email to info@edithwharton.org with the link)
• On national television: the next time you find yourself on Good Morning America or The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, mention Edith Wharton!
• Any other innovative way that might work"

"Most of the photographs of Edith Wharton found on the Internet are in the public domain, so you can download and manipulate them to create your own version. Here are a few in The Mount’s online galleries:http://www.edithwharton.org/gallery-detail.php?gallery_id=3&subCatId=3 andhttp://www.edithwharton.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=58103."

"We’ll plan to assemble and share as many wishes as we can. Check our blog for regular updates."

Note: Many of the books and films can be found at
Works of Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, Sanctuary, The Custom of the Country, Summer & more (mobi) by Edith Wharton

Illustration from Wikipedia of Lily Bart, House of Mirth, original edition.

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