In taking soup do not gurgle or make throat noises. Speak well of others or not at all is a good rule. "The Art of Good Manners" covers such topics as table manners, pronunciation, introductions, conversation, courtship and children's behaviour. It g...

"The Art of Letter Writing" gives over fifty examples of the perfect letter for any occasion. Unsure how to break off an engagement, accept an invitation to a country house weekend, complain about a courier or write to a countess? This book contains...

First published in 1920, "How to Dine in Style" opens a window onto the golden age of elegant dining, where the basic function of ingesting nourishment was elevated to a high social art, attended by intricate details and elaborate ritual. Starched li...

Everyone knows a joke about mothers-in-law, but what are the golden rules you need to become a popular one? The authors of this pioneering guide, first published in the 1930s, aimed to dramatically improve relationships for all the family with sound...

How should a motorist converse with the police? Should you switch off your headlights when another car approaches? What parts of the engine can you fix with a sheet of emery paper, insulating tape and copper wire? The 1920s heralded the age of motori...

When American troops arrived in Paris to help maintain order at the end of the Second World War they were, at first, received by the local population with a sense of euphoria. However, the French soon began to resent the Americans for their display o...

At which Oxford college does a trumpeter summon you to dinner? What does the appearance of a rose bowl signify? How would you use a grace cup as distinct from a sconce cup? The custom of dining in formal hall at Oxford and Cambridge dates back to the...

How should men and women embark on a new relationship? Is it acceptable to flirt? Should one ever kiss in a canoe? What is the ideal age gap for marriage? What gifts are appropriate for a fiancee? How should one announce an engagement? Aimed at the r...

Shepherd Mead, bestselling author of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying", came to live in England with his family in 1958. Six years later he published a satirical handbook for fellow Americans to guide them through the nuances of Brit...

The list of favorite flowers has remained remarkably constant over the centuries. From late-sixteenth, early seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish flower-pieces we can see what were considered desirable at that time: the rose, iris, carnation and lil...