Etiquette Manners

In this modern, stress-filled time, people face many awkward situations: the dating scene with all its pitfalls; friends going through grief and loss; job difficulties and other personal problems; the woes of love, friendship, and profession. To avoid gaffes and goofs and other embarrassments, we need to bring our social I.Q. into the 21st century. This book defines manners and etiquette for how we live today and shows readers how to keep their mouths foot-free.

"We all know bad manners when we see them," Henry Alford observes at the beginning of his new book. But what, he asks, do good manners look like in our day and age? When someone answers their cell phone in the middle of dining with you, or runs you off the sidewalk with their doublewide stroller, or you enter a postapocalyptic public restroom, the long-revered wisdom of Emily Post can seem downright prehistoric. Alford embarks on a journey to find out how things might look if people were on their best behavior a tad more often.

50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know is a young man’s guide to becoming the type of guy that people respect and enjoy. He knows how to shake hands. He knows how to be a good sport. He knows how to give a genuine compliment and how to speak his mind without being offensive. His friends listen to what he has to say, and he returns the favor. He knows how to achieve the perfect knot in a necktie and, more important, he knows when he should be wearing a tie in the first place. Oh, and his favorite ball cap?

A modern update on the ageless idea that girls should know appropriate and courteous responses to any situation. Good manners aren’t just a quaint and old-fashioned concept. They’re an essential aspect of every young lady’s path to adulthood and the skills she’ll need in whatever she chooses to do.

In this irreverent journey through the murky world of digital etiquette, WIRED's Victoria Turk provides an indispensable guide to minding our manners in a brave new online world. The digital revolution has put us all within a few clicks, taps and swipes of each other. But familiarity can breed contempt, and whilst we’re more likely than ever to fall in love online, we’re also more likely to fall headfirst into a blazing row with a stranger. Google’s unofficial motto is Don’t Be Evil, but sometimes that’s easier said than done.