The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do [Paperback]

Samantha Ettus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2009

"Utterly useful . . . its own cultural Rorschach." –New York Times

The simplest things are the hardest to master. This book provides unparalleled insights into how to accomplish your daily tasks better–more resourcefully, more effectively, and more efficiently–in a collection of brief, entertaining how-to essays by 100 of the world’s leading authorities. Topics include:

Interpersonal skills, such as how to listen by Larry King
Etiquette essentials, such as how to set a formal table by Peggy Post
Home pointers, such as how to paint a room by Bob Vila
Beauty basics, including how to apply lipstick by Bobbi Brown
Cooking tips, such as how to barbecue by Bobby Flay
Health hints, such as how to breathe by Bikram Choudhury
Athletic advice, including how to hit a tennis ball by Jennifer Capriati


"A brilliant package." –USA Weekend

"Packed with advice." –Newsweek

"The latest insights into how to do much of the day-to-day stuff better, more resourcefully, more effectively." –Family Circle

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When it comes to changing a tire, scrambling eggs, telling a joke or doing laundry, Ettus is no expert. (She’s just the president of a brand-management firm.) But for this guide, she tracked down people who are, and asked their advice on everyday tasks. So former White House social secretary Letitia Baldrige explains how to shake hands; make-up guru Bobbi Brown teaches how to apply lipstick; New York Times Company chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. gives tips on reading a newspaper; and three-time U.S. Open winner Jennifer Capriati instructs readers on hitting a tennis ball. For better or for worse, Ettus seems to have allowed each contributor to insert some personality into his or her offering. Accordingly, the explanation on how to make a bed, from Tracey R. Henderson, the Holiday Inn Select Executive Housekeeper of the Year 2003, ends with a hokey "Show someone else the job you’ve done so that they can pat you on the back," while the lesson on tying a bow tie, from Tucker Carlson, co-host of CNN’s Crossfire and an avid bow tie enthusiast, concludes, "Consider whether you really want to do this.... When you wear a bow tie, people will make assumptions about you." The result is a guide that’s alternately lighthearted and serious, a coffee-table book of the most practical sort. 30 line drawings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Let's face it: most of us are never going to be in a position to get advice from Arthur Sulzberger, Bob Vila, Donald Trump, Larry King, Howie Mandel, and Suze Orman, now are we? That's why we need this book. These experts and 94 more show you how to read a newspaper (New York Times publisher Sulzberger), tell a joke (comedian Mandel), save money (financial guru Orman), and, well, pretty much anything else you can think of. Not sure how to tie your necktie? It's in here. Can't quite get the hang of just hanging out? Dr. Dean Ornish has some advice on relaxing. Some of the advice here is practical (making a bed, ironing a shirt, doing laundry), and some of it is of a more abstract nature (delivering bad news, making an educated guess, remembering names). The authors call the book "Cliff Notes to life," and that about sums it up. It's more fun than Cliff Notes, though. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307587711
• ISBN-13: 978-0307587718
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #381,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Samantha Ettus launched the first-ever agency for personality-driven brands and created the bestselling "Experts' Guide" series of books. She currently writes "Personahood," a personal branding blog for Forbes. For three years, she wrote "Celebrity Assets" a syndicated personal branding column for Scripps Howard. She is a sought after speaker and appears regularly on national TV on the topic of personal branding. She was the co-founder and on-air host of ObsessedTV.com, a leading web video talk show. Email: [e-mail] Twitter: @samanthaettus

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, mainly useful, but a little uneven, February 14, 2005

By 

Debbie the Book Devourer "dletour7" (Waltham, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do (Hardcover)

This book contains instructions on how to do 100 things in right around 300 pages. Do the math. Each subject is treated at a pretty high level, unless it's something limited in scope, such as tying a Windsor knot.

The brevity made the book fun to read. I did find some useful gems: Manage Your Time by Stephen Covey, Swim by Summer Sanders, Make a Toast by Carley Roney, among many others. Other essays were cheeky and amusing: Tell a Story (Ira Glass), Tell a Joke (Howie Mandel), Tie a Bow Tie (Tucker Carlson).

Some essays could have used illustrations (or for those that had illustrations, better ones): Do Push-Ups and Sit Ups, Hold a Baby, Fly a Flag. Others were just not helpful: for Swing a Golf Club, Jim McLean tells us to take lessons; for Conduct a Background Investigation, Terry Lenzner says we should hire a pro. Huh?

Finally, there were the essays that might describe the best way to do something, but it's a process I know I'll never follow. For example, I'll just have to go through life never applying lipstick correctly, because I just have better things to do with my time.

Despite (or maybe because of) its unevenness, the book was fun to read. Because all the essays were short, I got through it pretty quickly, too (especially after reading the essay on speed-reading).

If you're looking for a little amusement where you might actually learn a few things, you won't be disappointed.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Won't Want This Book to End, November 23, 2004

By 

Lynne F. Homrich (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do (Hardcover)

This book is like some sort of delicious, chocolatey, rich dessert - I want to consume it as slowly as possible because it is so good! Every time I pick it up I have plans to read just a couple of chapters, but so far, find myself intrigued to keep reading just ONE more, and then just ONE more.............finally I force myself to stop at six or seven chapters - I don't want it to end too soon. While I have learned many, many new things, my favorite so far is the chapter on how to wash hair - all these years, more than 10,000 hair washings, and I never knew you should alternate shampoos several times each week. Something so simple, but makes a big difference. Mmmmmmmmmm..........wonder what I'll learn tomorrow!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great gift!, November 1, 2004

By 

Dylan Spatz "Dylan Spatz" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do (Hardcover)

What a great idea! This book provides advice from 100 of the world's leading experts in their field. Larry King writes "How to Listen". Donald Trump writes "How to Negotiate". Peggy Post writes "How to set a formal dining table". The Head Groundskeeper of Fenway Park writes "How to mow a lawn". The first American to summit Mount Everest writes "How to keep warm". The chapters are addictive and topics range from a couture wedding dress designer teaching us how to sew a button to the head of the Center for Disease Control telling us the right way to wash our hands. This is not a serious, overly detailed "how to book" --- each of the 100 chapters provides a fun 3-4 page overview. Even in the areas that I thought I knew it all I learned a whole bunch of new tidbits.