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

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