Anna Cabot Lowell Quincy (1812-1899) was a discerning 21-year-old woman of privilege. Although she was respectful in polite comapny, the diary she kept during the summer of 1833 reveals a trenchant and amused view of the affectation of the Harvard community, as well as upper-class Boston life.

Published in its entirety for the first time, this witty, entertaining, and satirical social diary of the daughter of Harvard president Josiah Quincy creates a vivid picture of early 19th-century American society in a narrative style similar to the novels of Jane Austen.