50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know [Hardcover]

John Bridges (Author), Bryan Curtis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

With sales of more than 750,000 copies, the books in the GentleManners series have become the most popular gift etiquette books on the market today. This latest book in the series was written especially for boys ages 8-14, to teach them the basic skills every young man should have and every young man's mother and grandmother want him to have. Among the topics covered in this book are how to shake hands, how to make an introduction, what to do when you sneeze or cough, and how to use a napkin. It is written in a style that will appeal to young men of that age.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401602940
• ISBN-13: 978-1401602949
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grandsons loved it!!, February 17, 2007

By 

T. Haavisto (Madison, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know (Hardcover)

I bought this book to use with my grandsons, ages 11 & 13. I pulled it out one day when they were visiting and read them the introduction. It might have been the phrase "impressing the girls" that first caught their attention! I read to them from the book, starting with "How to behave in a movie theater". The chapters are short instructions followed by "You do" and "You don't" and "Why" sections. The advice is excellent and concise! After reading a few chapters to them, the 13 year old asked to see it and picked a few chapters he wanted me to read to them. Then the 11 year old wanted to pick a few!! We spent over an hour reading and discussing and they never lost interest! The next morning they were still saying things like "I put the toilet seat down, "just like a young gentleman should"! We will read more together the next time they visit. The book is written so you can randomly pick chapters that appeal at the time. Money well spent, time well invested in "my two fine young gentlemen"!!

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Good Place to Start, September 17, 2008

By 

countrytek "countrytek" (Shelton, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know (Hardcover)

I have an eleven year-old son who thinks he's 13-going-on-21. Like most modern fathers, a nine-hour day - bracketed by a 40-minute commute - doesn't leave me with nearly as much time as I would love to spend with him. Add two younger brothers to the mix and "one-on-one" time becomes truly precious. I honestly believe that being a gentleman gains a man a lot of respect - even if the people he encounters really don't know why they respect him. Like all fathers, I want my sons to be liked & respected.

50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know covers the basics in a no-nonsense manner. Each situtation is breifly described and defined. It is then followed by "What you do," "What you DON'T do" and "Why." It is a very easy read (I read it from cover to cover in under 45 minutes.) that communicates it's ideas in a very clear manner. Does it cover EVERY situation that a young man is going to encounter? No, but it does a good job of covering the most common ones. Everything from "What to do with a napkin," to "How to treat someone with a disability."

These are all things that my four brothers and I were taught at home, but we had the absolute luxury (By today's standards.) of Dad being at home on the family farm when he wasn't commercial fishing or working for the county road department. Being the youngest, I got lots of "peer reenforcement" from my older brothers.

My son's reaction? "You're joking, right, Dad?" I looked him squarely in the eye and informed him that I was most certainly not joking and that I expect him to not only read the book, but to learn the things it has to teach -- and to put them to work in his life. He shook his head and walked off to his bedroom with the book. He was back in five minutes, promising to read five "Things" each day. I think he must have read the dedication I enscribed on the inside of the front cover. Most of it is highly personal and (I pray) not applicable to your individual situtation, but here is the last paragraph: "Why is your learning to be a gentleman so important to me? Because I love you and I want you to be liked and respected by everyone you meet. Love, Dad."

Like I said in my review's title: This is not the last word on training up your sons to be gentlemen, but it is a good first step on that all-important journey.

50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately, today "common sense" has become nonsense to a grunge-influenced culture, August 8, 2008

By 

J. H. Russell "jhrussell49" (Greenville, SC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know (Hardcover)

Detractors will argue that a book like this is only common sense, but unfortunately, our society today has been influenced by the "grunge-activists" so that good manners in word and deed are disappearing. Bridges and Curtis touch on such mundanely topics as shaking hands with the elderly, with ladies, etc., writing (a lost art) of thank you notes, giving and receiving compliments, opening doors for others, answering a phone (and cell phone usage), table manners, making introductions, etc. These and all are essential in the business and professional world.
Good manners in what one says and does is always appropriate: putting others before oneself. While there will certainly be variations, the untaught and unsure cannot go wrong by going by their "letter of the law." jhr