From Publishers Weekly
A man usually seeks etiquette tips from three types of people: a sharp woman he admires, a Jeeves, or a stylish metrosexual. In Post, great-grandson to the diamond-tongued Emily Post, he will find a mild-mannered golf companion. In his preface, Post explains that since most men don't want a dry reference book on manners, he set out write a "conversational" book "that men can read right through, from cover to cover." Nonetheless, most readers may still prefer to skim this guide's many subheadings, bullet points and sidebars and head straight to what interests. Post's book is studded with anecdotes taken from a nostalgic domestic universe, where men "wander into the kitchen and pull out all the fixings for a delectable Dagwood sandwich," which Post narrates in the conjugal we-e.g. "over the past few years we've helped organize several monster clambakes on Martha's Vineyard." In this world, women appear as watchdogs and oracles, repeatedly quoted as the ultimate authorities on male behavior. Indeed, Post's etiquette guide becomes a dating guide midway through, and the important "Social Life" section crescendos with a chapter on weddings. He is conservative on technology: in his view, "we have become slaves to the phone" and emails should be considered public documents, without exception. But Post is no enemy of progress: in another section, he offers tips for making effective PowerPoint presentations. For the modern bachelor who wants to give a dinner party, the author provides his personal "Keep It Simple Stupid" entertaining guide, including his favorite recipe (for chicken tarragon), but skips precise rules about how to set a table. Overall, Post appears to have exchanged the mystique of manners for business-casual rules of thumb. Many men might welcome this exchange, and the book should do well among readers who enjoyed Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business (1999). Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Joshua Piven, coauthor of The WORST-CASE SCENARIO Survival Handbook
"A helpful manners survival guide for figuring out those sticky everyday situations."
Andy Spade, CEO and creative director, Kate Spade LLC
"...men should welcome this book."
Elegant Weddings magazine
". . .a sensible, realistic guide for men on how to relate to others with grace, courtesy, and charm."
Charlotte Observer
". . .a fast-paced and witty guide to help men handle everyday situations."
Chicago Sun-Times
". . .tells men, in a readable and unscolding way, the basics of what they need to know."
Letitia Baldrige
"[Peter Post] has masterfully tackled a specific market that desperately needs his advice."
Book Description
Essential Manners for Men helps men make the right decisions about what to do and say in every situation that counts. Peter Post, great-grandson of Emily Post, distills the essential information men need for all the important roles they play in life.
Organized into three parts -- "Daily Life," "Social Life," and "On the Job" -- Essential Manners for Men resolves situations that can stump even the savviest. Peter Post's advice is sharp-witted and sensible, with tips, boxes, and candid anecdotes about his own etiquette blunders. Topics include:
The most important behaviors to avoid and emulate at the gym, at work, on the golf course, at home, out with friends, at a business social event, and a child's ball game
Tipping, driver's "ed-iquette," introductions, sportsmanship, and parenting
Successfully sharing living spaces with a roommate, significant other, or spouse -- from the toilet seat to the remote control to the kitchen sink
How to throw a great party or be the perfect guest
How to successfully navigate the business dinner
Things men do wrong that make women wince, and things men do right that women love
The five-step process to resolve any situation where there is no etiquette "rule"
Short and shoot-from-the-hip honest, Essential Manners for Men is a book no man can afford to be without.
About the Author
Peter Post, a director of the Emily Post Institute and the coauthor of The Etiquette Advantage in Business, conducts business etiquette seminars for companies across the country. He gives hundreds of media interviews annually, including Crossfire, Weekend Today, Dateline, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The New York Times. The father of two grown daughters, he lives with his wife in Vermont.
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