Etiquette Books

Bought a copy for each of my two flower girls, ages 3 and 4. They love them! One mom has to limit the amount of time her daughter plays with them because it's now her favorite toy. The story is adorable and cleverly written. The two girls love "practicing" to be in the wedding and using the items included in the book.

This is a wonderful book! The illustrations are endearing and the text, just adorable. The cut-outs and things-to-play-with make this an interactive, engaging book that evey girl who will ever be a bride should get!

I love this book. I don't understand why its missing pictures, its such a shame because they would help the motivation levels. But otherwise this is my domestic bible, the content is awesome. It has tips on everything from organising and cleaning room by room, to planning a Christmas that all the family will be amazed by.

I got this book few months back by didn't order it from Amazon. I LOVED IT, I can depend on it to make my small apartment into a nice, cozy perfect place. I don't consider myself as a domestic Goddess but everybody love my place, touches, parties .. etc. The book contains excellent lessons in (De-Cluttering your home, cleaning, removing stains, shopping, entertaining, children and pets) many tips and ideas and love the 4th lesson on cleaning room by room. The only thing I missed in this book is the illustration, would be perfect if they added some photos and illustrations for gift wrapping or sitting a table for example. I'm looking forward the next book (early 2008).

This title covers a real need: the naked truth about underwear. Ten chapters in a tidy picture book even older kids will read cover topics like Protection, Warmth, Modesty, Cleanliness, Support, Shaping, Exaggeration, Status, Making a Statement and Future Undies. The text is a tightly woven fabric of truths about underwear ranging from such notables as Genghis Khan and his anti-arrow menswear, King Tut who was buried in 145 layers of undies and the primitive loincloth to the promised future of body sensors embedded in your Fruit of the Looms; this gets down to the foundations of corsets, bras, codpieces, crinoline petticoats, bloomers, and bustles. A huge amount of information wedged into this volume. The illustrations are lively and funny (as befits a Ringling Brothers artist. The book could only be made totally perfect by the addition of an index.

Kathy Shaskan's HOW UNDERWEAR GOT UNDER THERE: A BRIEF HISTORY is a whimsical story of how underwear has affected history, from King Tut who was buried with 145 pairs to how underwear has affected fashion and society alike. It's a zany, fun read which will attract leisure readers.

great seller...i really appreciate it. fast shipping

I wasn't looking to buy the book when I went to the bookstore, but was struck by its nifty teal-colored cover that included a raised print of little tennis rackets. Cool! I have played a little tennis and seen and heard Tracy Austin on tennis telecasts, so I went ahead and bought the book. The nice thing about it is that it's not bogged down in a lot of technical jargon about how to hit shots. Instead it covers basics like terminology, the rules, etiquette, what clothes to wear, how to pick out a racquet, where to find the best instruction, and so forth. Also, it's not dry. All the book's info comes out in a fictional story that drives the book, telling of a tennis novice (Stacy, who's not to be confused with Tracy, I assume) who has moved to a new town and decides to take up tennis to make new friends. To get prepared, she goes to a tennis club and gets shuffled from expert to expert, each telling her the ins and outs of a particular aspect of tennis. Stacy's is a cute story and a neat way of getting all this stuff across. I don't know how much of the writing is Austin's and how much is Eubanks's, but it's pretty funny at times and certainly informative. It is also accompanied by notepad doodles and drawings, sort of reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson Legal Pad book that came out two years ago. Some of the drawings are a bit lame, but the book is definitely useful. A glossary in back is especially helpful as a reference tool. This book probably won't teach you how to play tennis like Tracy Austin, but it sure will allow you to understand and enjoy it more.

I was pleased by the response my 3.5 year old son had after reading this book. He definitely got the point that being polite counts and it isn't so hard to say please and thank you!

My daughter constantly requests this book-much to my amusement. It is basically a lesson in please and thank you( a CONSTANT battle in our house)The illustrations are great-somewhat reminiscent of Sendak. Hey-what can it hurt??

The central themes of T.S. Bogorad's, The Importance of Civility, are succinctly summed up in the book's introduction wherein it is stated: "what we don't say may hurt us and our community, and our polite interaction with others strengthens us and our community."

Bogorad observes that the assets of our communities suffer and may even deteriorate when we fail to socially interact. Consequently, we must modify our perspectives pertaining to our need of community, our need for civility and our need for each other. As the author points out, this can only come about if we understand how important it is to contribute to our communities through the use of smiles and courtesies, fostering social interaction and discouraging isolation, reducing victimization, increasing our listening and our laughter skills, and encouraging "other awareness" through civil/courteous/polite conduct. We also must become aware of the significance of sharing responsibilities associated with our communities through cooperation and communication. As mentioned, "when we isolate ourselves from our community or when we reduce the number of social interactions, our lack of social interactions diminishes our community's social capital." In the absence of effective and constructive social interactions, members of a community tend to look to other forms of self-satisfaction such as alcohol, gambling, and random shopping.

The informative quality of Bogorad's writing does more than explain the importance of civility and without doubt the information contained will provoke a great deal of substantive thought. In fact, Bogorad helps us along by providing us at the conclusion of each chapter brief sentences reminding us of the important principles expounded upon as well as various dictums and proverbs to ponder about.

Neatly divided into seven sections, The Importance of Civility sets out to present a complex subject matter in an accessible, reader-friendly format by analyzing and dissecting such topics as social isolation and how to avoid it, importance of the community and its weaknesses, social interaction and its importance, the necessity of social capital, strategies for and concerns about effective social interaction which involve our choices, charm, and chutzpah, problems associated with social interaction, and small changes we should pursue that can lead to unbelievable results. As an example of small changes, Bogorad reminds us when Rosa Parks changed her seat in a bus and others supported her, the civil rights movement was ignited.

One of the author's more interesting discussions pertains to the concept of social cannibalism which exists as a result of the ever growing absence of social interactions and the simultaneous increase in the number of socially isolated people. The resulting effect is the erosion of our communities in a number of ways such as turning victims into abusers in order that they may feel power or by permitting bystanders to watch cheating, corruption and abuse without accountability for their failure to protect the community and its members.

Presenting big ideas or universal themes is always a challenge and one of the keys to effectively presenting your case is convincing the reader that what you are writing about has been firmly grounded in research. Bogorad passes the test with flying colors with her sheer depth of research as evidenced by the extensive endnotes and bibliography that back up her findings and that focus beyond her own personal perspectives. In addition, she has effectively captured this elusive subject in a way that readers are inspired with the confidence that Bogorad feels the truth of her convictions, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Books that encourage strengthening our communities are always welcome particularly in times when we seem to be leaning more towards encouraging individualism rather than social interaction. The Importance of Civility presents us with an amazing opportunity for enlightenment wherein most readers will likely emerge better informed and perhaps curiously changed.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

The central themes of T.S. Bogorad's, The Importance of Civility, are succinctly summed up in the book's introduction wherein it is stated: "what we don't say may hurt us and our community, and our polite interaction with others strengthens us and our community."

Bogorad observes that the assets of our communities suffer and may even deteriorate when we fail to socially interact. Consequently, we must modify our perspectives pertaining to our need of community, our need for civility and our need for each other. As the author points out, this can only come about if we understand how important it is to contribute to our communities through the use of smiles and courtesies, fostering social interaction and discouraging isolation, reducing victimization, increasing our listening and our laughter skills, and encouraging "other awareness" through civil/courteous/polite conduct. We also must become aware of the significance of sharing responsibilities associated with our communities through cooperation and communication. As mentioned, "when we isolate ourselves from our community or when we reduce the number of social interactions, our lack of social interactions diminishes our community's social capital." In the absence of effective and constructive social interactions, members of a community tend to look to other forms of self-satisfaction such as alcohol, gambling, and random shopping.

The informative quality of Bogorad's writing does more than explain the importance of civility and without doubt the information contained will provoke a great deal of substantive thought. In fact, Bogorad helps us along by providing us at the conclusion of each chapter brief sentences reminding us of the important principles expounded upon as well as various dictums and proverbs to ponder about.

Neatly divided into seven sections, The Importance of Civility sets out to present a complex subject matter in an accessible, reader-friendly format by analyzing and dissecting such topics as social isolation and how to avoid it, importance of the community and its weaknesses, social interaction and its importance, the necessity of social capital, strategies for and concerns about effective social interaction which involve our choices, charm, and chutzpah, problems associated with social interaction, and small changes we should pursue that can lead to unbelievable results. As an example of small changes, Bogorad reminds us when Rosa Parks changed her seat in a bus and others supported her, the civil rights movement was ignited.

One of the author's more interesting discussions pertains to the concept of social cannibalism which exists as a result of the ever growing absence of social interactions and the simultaneous increase in the number of socially isolated people. The resulting effect is the erosion of our communities in a number of ways such as turning victims into abusers in order that they may feel power or by permitting bystanders to watch cheating, corruption and abuse without accountability for their failure to protect the community and its members.

Presenting big ideas or universal themes is always a challenge and one of the keys to effectively presenting your case is convincing the reader that what you are writing about has been firmly grounded in research. Bogorad passes the test with flying colors with her sheer depth of research as evidenced by the extensive endnotes and bibliography that back up her findings and that focus beyond her own personal perspectives. In addition, she has effectively captured this elusive subject in a way that readers are inspired with the confidence that Bogorad feels the truth of her convictions, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Books that encourage strengthening our communities are always welcome particularly in times when we seem to be leaning more towards encouraging individualism rather than social interaction. The Importance of Civility presents us with an amazing opportunity for enlightenment wherein most readers will likely emerge better informed and perhaps curiously changed.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

I loved this textbook. I read it for an Infant & Child Development class and found it interesting, clear and helpful. Anyone interested in childhood development should definitely read this book!

From my experience, no other book--at this time--can upend Gonzalez-Mena's INFANTS, TODDLERS, AND CAREGIVERS. In it's seventh edition, it stands as the most near perfect infant/toddler textbook ever created.

Now...Berk's book is probably the best "second-best" textbook that I have found.

She goes from history/theory to basic foundations to each era of children from birth to Age 11. The book is filled with color pictures and color charts along with plenty of special interest sidebar accounts on subjects like the negative side of extended infant child care.

So why is it the second best? It just doesn't cover infants and toddlers exclusively. Instead, it exists as a superbly written book on early childhood growth and development...which isn't such a bad thing.

Check it out if you either can't get Gonzalez-Mena's book or if you just want a second opinion on infant/toddler concepts.

Massey and West deserves five stars for their loving presentation of this early twentieth century travelogue, which should be of great interest to historians and serious Japanese culture buffs.

Japan and Her People, Anna Hartshorne's 1902 book on her experiences in Japan (along with its history), is an entertaining and informative volume that will be an excellent addition to any historian's library (with the added benefit of being a lively read).
Hartshorne, the daughter of a Quaker missionary, was a longtime resident of Japan, spending many years as a teacher in schools such as the Joshi Eigaku Juku. As such, she came over time to develop an appreciation and understanding of Japanese culture that gives her book an insight lacking in similar books written by short-term visitors. It would be unfair to label the book a travel journal, guide, or history-it's all of these and more.
The book begins with chapters on traveling to Japan ("...not a formidable matter...ranging from twelve days to three weeks") and a description of the Yokohama area, which at the time was the area most frequented by foreigners. The next two chapters feature an excellent introduction to Japanese history. Hartshorne relates the history of Japan from its earliest legends in the Kojiki and Nihongi through the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration. Touched upon along the way are the Minamoto, Taira, Go-Daigo, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and many more figures of note. At times the history proves to be false (as in the story of Tokugawa Ieyasu dying of wounds suffered at the Summer Battle of Osaka, or the many legends surrounding the 47 Ronin that were for years accepted as fact and since disproved). This in itself is helpful, however, for showing what the accepted views were at this particular point in time. Cities such as Tokyo and Kamakura are examined as well as overviews of several regions (including Oshu, Hokkaido, and the west coast). There are chapters on Japanese households, the tombs of the Tokugawa, Buddhist temples, hot springs, Japanese inns, and more. In each of these chapters Hartshorne generally gives a description of the subject as it was in her day and then examines its history. For example, the story of Will Adams (the so-called `English Samurai') is brought up in the Yokohama chapter and Hosokawa Gracia is examined in conjunction with Confucianism during the Japanese Household chapter. Hartshorne tends to stray off topic, but as she brings up one interesting story after another, the effect is generally quite engaging. Legends and folklore merge with observations and fact, giving the reader a feeling of how it must have been to live in and experience Japan in the early twentieth century. Many of the book's best passages come when Hartshorne expresses her dismay with certain elements of Japanese history and culture. The interior of the Kamakura Buddha is said to be "disenchanting" with "a sort of unnecessary ugliness that one resents", while she finds Gompachi (of the famous legend of lovers Gompachi and Komurasaki) to be "as cowardly a young cut-throat as ever got his deserts".
Despite her affiliations with Christian missionaries, Hartshorne is quite respectful regarding Buddhism and Shinto. She also brings to life the setbacks of Buddhism during the Meiji Restoration (as Shinto became the favored `religion' of the new regime).
Even the natural and man-made disasters that routinely swept Japan are reflected. In a post scripted note, Hartshorne relates how a fire burned down many of Ikegami temple's structures after she had visited and wrote at length about it.
Interspaced throughout the text are black and white period photos, enhancing the book's descriptions and helping to capture the unique feel of Japan at a time when it was still moving away from traditional values and lifestyles towards the modernity of the West.
An added bonus in this edition of the book is a Forward by Lian Hearn, author of the best selling Tales of The Otori series. Hearn is well-steeped in the history of Japan and provides valuable background and historical perspective to Hartshorne. In particular, I found Hartshorne's possible influence on Nitobe Inazo, author of the 1900 Bushido:The Soul of Japan (a book instrumental in shaping early Western misconceptions of Japanese culture and history), quite interesting. Hearn's Forward reads more like an historical analysis than the traditional congratulatory forward. The editors have also cleaned up spelling errors from the original 1902 edition. The only possible drawback to the book is the lack of an index; it's understandable since it's not a straight out history.
As Hearn laments, "It's sad that Anna wrote no other books". Thankfully, we once again have this one to enjoy.

This book taught me a lot about how differently the Chinese view the world and how normal Western concepts do not apply to them. The black-and-white illustrations match the generally light-hearted and humorous tone of the book. Expecially useful for anyone planning a trip to China or planning to stay there

In my own meager experience in Asia countries three key things had dawned on me before I found Fred Schneiter's book. They were (1) It's their country and they make the rules, (2) What I saw on the surface was never how it really worked, and (3) The more I learnt the less I knew. Schneiter's book explained all these feelings for me, in a Chinese context, and vastly more. And all with a clever sense of humour, which helps the reader remember the anecdotes and the lessons. The chapters are almost self-contained, and are easy to read, and the insights reveal a wisdom about getting on in China that most of us will never attain. I think that anyone doing business in China would enjoy this book. For neophytes, like me, you would be simply silly not to buy it. Having read and browsed many such books this is one of the best. I've enjoyed re-reading it many times over.

Do you want to entertain but don't know how to go about it and not get stressed out? This book is chocked full of good ideas for a variety of parties and hints to make them easier to manage. There are also recipes included. Simplicity is the key, but not always the most inexpensive way. I appreciated the book because I like to enjoy celebrating with my friends without feeling too exhausted from the planning and getting ready for a party. This book helps by giving many numerous tips to remember to plan for that we might not think about until it is too late. Very good. Enjoy!

This book is a fabulous resource for anyone who wants to open their heart and home with fun and flair. There are tons of ideas for party themes, from croquet tournaments to omelette parties. Inspirations for celebrations and special times with guests of different ages and during different seasons abound. Valuable tips for planning and shopping are offered, along with recipe and menu ideas. There is also helpful advice on decorating and preparing your home.

The only drawbacks to the book (for us) are 1. an emphasis on alcohol, which does not fit our lifestyle, and 2. some of the "simplifying" ideas are expensive, such as hiring people and renting things. It also would not be a good book for someone who likes to do mainly formal entertaining.

Overall though, it is an excellent book. It is a much-needed guide to fill the hospitality gap that exists today. You will want to reach for it every time you decide, "Let's have someone over."