The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do (Hardcover)

by Samantha Ettus (Author)

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.

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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; First Edition; Sixth Printing edition (September 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400052564
• ISBN-13: 978-1400052561
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #286,333 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 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 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!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Gift, September 27, 2004

By	Thomas Hammer (Ypsilanti, Michigan) - See all my reviews

A few months ago, my wife and I bought our first car together and I insisted on getting a stick shift, figuring I could teach her how to drive it in a few short hours. Well, I was wrong, and now my wife never wants to drive the thing. So when I thumbed through this book at the bookstore last week and saw the chapter on how to drive a stick shift, I had to get it for her. And let me tell you, it's been a big help -- we went driving this weekend so my wife could practice what she learned, and she was more comfortable than she'd ever been! I guess sometimes it's easier for people to learn stuff at their own pace, and The Experts Guide was just the ticket. We were both happy to find many other useful nuggets of information, all presented in quick, entertaining bites. Am I satisfied with this book? You betcha...now my wife can drive herself to the grocery store!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who couldn't use an expert in their back pocket??, October 12, 2004

By	C. Ross (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Don't we all share Samantha's sentiment that "the list of things I don't know only seems to be growing as I discover how much more there is to learn"?? The Experts' Guide is an excellent way to relieve some of the stress from all the things we keep putting off to learn when we have "more free time". In just a few fun minutes you can become your own tailor, learn how to properly pick up your rice with chop sticks, and absolve your guilt from jumping straight to the Sunday Styles when reading the newspaper. This book definitely has something for everyone & is certainly the perfect gift when you just don't know what to get!!