The Little Book of Etiquette

Dorothea Johnson has written an excellent primer on dining etiquette. It's amazing how much information she's packed into such a tiny tome. It's small enough to store in a purse or coat pocket, so you can take it with you to important dining engagements for reference.

Well written and organized. The small size makes it irresistible, everyone wants to pick it up and read it. Perfect for grads moving out into the business world as the emphasis is on the applied use of table manners. There is enough history, a few pictures and it is concise enough that even the most hurried can finish reading it in under an hour.

I bought this book for my daughter and she really enjoyed it and found it very useful. She has a European boyfriend and they dine out nearly every night. She really appreciated this book

I received this charming "little" book as a Christmas gift a few years ago. My friend and her husband had taken note that I like etiquette books, and they kindly added to my collection. But this book isn't the heavy, voluminous Amy Vanderbilt/Emily Post for my coffee-table-only book. This book couldn't be more portable and is chocked full of great information. Do you know the differences between Service a la Francaise, Service a la Russe, Service a L'Anglaise, and Restaurant/American Style forms of food presentation? I certainly didn't! (The author, etiquette guru Dorothea Johnson, is the grandmother of Liv Tyler. How cool!) Although I love etiquette books, I'm the first to admit that I don't follow etiquette guidelines to a T (especially in casual company--I'd look a little odd if I did!), and my manners, while decent, are far from perfect. As an aside, my sister had a hardy laugh when I told her I had started reading etiquette books (my first etiquette book was Etiquette Grrls: Things You Need to be Told). She said, "But you're our father's daugher. Why would you read an etiquette book?" (It's a family joke that my dad's side of my family is known to be more than a little crude, while my mom's side is the more refined. Luckily, my sister and I have our mom's side to somewhat offset our dad's genes :-)

This book is very handy in assisting our more modern society with the fine details of everyday dining. There are eight chapters dealing with subjects such as dos and don'ts, table talk, the business meal, eating various foods, a step-by-step explanation of meal courses, forms of service, and more. I love pages 26-27 -- they are probably the higlight of the book: a graphic display of a formal place setting. It is amazing that so much information is presented in such a small book, yet it is not difficult to read. Questions, both large and small, are answered in the first chapter, and the rest of the book gives wonderful detailed information, descriptions and examples.I purchased these books for use with the college scholars I assist on our campus. The miniature size is handy, yet may not be well-received by men who, like the women, enjoy receiving this information. I recommend this book without hesitation, especially when given as a gift to our younger generation.