Slate has a fine piece up from Kate Bolick, who’ll be hosting an interview series this summer at The Mount, Wharton’s home. And in the spirit of Wharton’s book on home decoration, Bolick has collected advice from Wharton on hospitality–essentially, a look at how to throw a suitably Wharton-esque event.

There’s also plenty of information on The Mount. This passage evokes a mentality that sounds enviable, even for those of us without sprawling estates that double as writing spaces:

Wharton wasn’t merely in pursuit of the so-called good life; she was out to master what she called “the complex art of civilized living,” an elegant balance of work, art, and leisure. She built her value system directly into the estate, which is something of a live-work space writ large. All through the summer and fall, she’d host a steady stream of houseguests without putting a dent in her own productivity.

There’s also a Henry James cameo, which never hurts.

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