Customer Reviews

Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition (Thumb Indexed)

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"Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition" is not your grandmother's guide to manners. The most respected authority on all things proper since 1922, "Emily Post's Etiquette" has been completely rewritten by Peggy Post, Emily Post's great-granddaughter-in-law, to help you conduct yourself with courtesy appropriate for today's contemporary living.

In "Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition," Post offers advice for handling modern situations such as online dating,"blended" families and breastfeeding or pumping at the office. Guidelines are given for using high-tech devices like cell phones, e-mail, and instant messaging. There is even a discussion on the inappropriateness of displaying body piercings at a job interview.

Fortunately, when updating the book to address modern advances and changes, Post did not disregard the situations and concerns that have remained important through the years. "Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition" is packed with timeless advice on matters such as table manners, introductions, displaying the flag and responding to invitations. Entertaining, planning and attending weddings and communication are covered in detail. Most people will find the guidelines in the chapter titled "The Finer Points of Tipping" very useful. There's even a section on Official Protocol, so you'll know how to behave if you are ever invited to the White House.

"Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition" is well-written and well-organized. That is of key importance considering this book is 896 pages long. Post's style is easy and conversational, keeping you from feeling like you're getting bogged down and welcoming you to continue reading. If you have a specific etiquette question, you will be able to find the answer quickly and easily due to the attention paid to the book's structure. The table of contents and index are intuitive. The chapters are broken up and easy to navigate through the effective use of headings and subheadings. Indexed tabs are even thoughtfully included.

Peggy Post has done an excellent job with "Emily Post's Etiquette, 17th Edition." She has provided a guide that allows for the more casual nature of modern society while honoring the simple courtesy and civility that will never be out of style.

This book is an essential read for almost everyone, period. If you go outside your house, open your curtains, answer your phone, or even reply to your mail, electronic or otherwise, this book is for you. If you want a primer on manners because you feel like you're not "doing the right thing" in a social situation, this book is for you. The only reason you shouldn't have this book is if you have so little contact with other people that you would not even be on the internet reading this review in the first place.

When most people imagine what's inside a book like this, they see detailed instructions on how many inches the dinner fork must be from the salad fork, how many seconds one is required to wait before answering the phone, and how many inches of shoelace should hang off the side of one's sneakers. "Emily Post's Etiquette" is nothing like that. She emphasizes that changing times have put the heart of good manners where they belong: In the spirit of courtesy and respect for others.

What you should get from this book by reading it is the confidence to deal with life's difficult situations, and the grace to be polite even when others are not. What everyone else should get from this book is a little bit better world, where at least one more person can lead with a good example.

These potential benefits alone are enough to merit my recommendation. I encourage you to pick up a copy and find out for yourself just how much you can get from it.

Emily Post is arguably the most famous American writer on the subject of etiquette. I have heard about this book a few times but it was written so long ago that I thought it to be obsolete and never purchased it. Recently, my grandmother passed away and I stumbled upon the 1957 edition of Etiquette while searching through her books. I must say that I was dead wrong about the book being out of date. There are some traditions that have since died out, like what to do with hats, but only because the fashion has changed. The rest of the book is still very practical. In the preface to this book Emily Post says, "Graciousness and courtesy are never old-fashioned, though their expression does change."

The importance of learning etiquette can be summed up in one quote from the first page of the book: "no one--unless he be a hermit--can fail to gain from a proper, courteous, likable approach, or fail to be handicapped by an improper, offensive, resentful one."

While most people think of etiquette in relation to table setting and dinners, it is much more than that. This book guides the reader through everyday good manners and civility.

For Christmas 2006, upon my daughter's suggestion, I purchased this book for each one of my four grandsons. The first one to open the book began to complain, but when I looked at the other three, their heads were buried in the books, and soon the complainer did too. All four boys are college age, and have the book with them away at school or close at hand. It is the perfect life-long etiquette reference for 19 and 21 year-old boys, and even for me!

I teach etiquette. In one of my courses I teach those who wish to be etiquette teachers. Even though I write etiquette articles and booklets myself, I give this book to everyone of my teachers--it is that good. I only disagree with her views on gift giving, which isn't an overwhelming negative considering that the book is 896 pages and gift giving is a small element.

I have an older copy of Emily Post's Etiquette that I think is much better written than this version. Yes, I do admire the idea of updating the book to recognize changes since the 1980s, such as the rise in the use of email and cellphones. Nonetheless, I think the book raises these issues without giving much in the way of practical etiquette advice. Want to know something surprising? Letitia Baldrige's new etiquette book does a much better job on this front. Frankly, I'll probably donate the new Post book to clear space on my crowded bookcases.

You can be a gorgeous Ivy League grad-- but if you sit at a table and eat like a monkey, you're not getting anywhere in life. If you run around alienating people with your crappy social skills, you'll die alone and unlamented. Seriously. Before you spend a fortune on botox, gym memberships and advanced degrees, just spend a few bucks on a book that'll teach you not to be a troll. Money well spent.

I purchased this as a gift for a friend who often asks me etiquette questions and it was a big hit! First, the layout of the book is fantastic. It has a thumb-index (think old-fashioned dictionary), which makes it very easy to use and reference when you have any question. Second, it is a great modern update. This is not the Emily Post our grandmothers knew -- it has everything from when/how to tell friends/family you are divorcing to gay marriage/commitment ceremonies. Finally, all topics are handled very well and will answer almost every question you have -- even if it is as simple as do I wait to eat until the entire table is served (you may be surprised -- in parties over 5, you do not need to wait!). I recommend this book for recent graduates or those just starting out in the business world and want to feel more confident in business social interactions.

No matter what your background is, you must be able to move comfortably in all circles; this is as true for the Rock-Star, Film-maker or Avante Garde painter as it is for the executive. Where some sources of modern manners are a bit too cute for men, Emily Post is straightforward and comprehensive. The large volume covers every aspect of social life from how to walk down the side-walk so as not to interrupt the flow of traffic to how to plan a wedding and all points between.
Etiquette is not the restrictive discipline that it was in the Victorian era, but there is still an art to making people feel comfortable around you and confident in you. There are also sections of the chapters devoted to manners in different cultures that increasingly make up the fabric of America.
I have enjoyed just opening the book at random and gleaning what wisdom is there, and make no mistake, there is great wisdom in behaving well. Far too often people do not get on in life and never know that it is their behavior that is at fault.
Some people just seem naturally to do the right thing with great grace and people are effortlessly drawn to them. For the rest of us, there is Emily Post.

This 17th edition (hardback) is excellent. It only arrived a week ago but has already proved to be a tremendous help in solving many tricky situations. I have recommended it to all my friends and relatives as a MUST to have on the Reference shelf of the Home Library.