The Three Best Etiquette Books for Men

I don't know why it seems to be that good etiquette is thought of as something distinctly feminine, but given the few resources devoted to etiquette for men, it seems this trend hasn't been completely broken. In fact, men need etiquette just as much as women do, perhaps more, in fact because we are stereotypically less concerned about it. In my quest to have better etiquette, I bought several etiquette books for men to see what the difference was between those for women and found that my life changed significantly after reading the list of three etiquette books for men discussed here. What I liked about these etiquette books for men is that they don't "talk down" to men as though they're too unsophisticated to handle it and even more importantly, they don't go on about stupid general etiquette fodder such as which fork to use, for example.

The very best etiquette book for men I found was actually written by a man, something I liked and didn't find enough of, actually. This particular etiquette for men book is called "How to be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy" by John Bridges and is a very practical, useful, and easy-to-read work that doesn't lay it on to thick with the obvious points. In fact, part of what many other books that offer etiquette for men lack is an element of subtlety...everything is over-the-top nice and thought-out far too much. This book offers general etiquette for men such as giving and receiving compliments that are tasteful, how to act during certain uncomfortable situations such as funerals or weddings, and even more normal things that might seem obvious but need repeating such as when to handle business when you're in a social situation or on a date, for instance. Another thing I like about this particular book is that it isn't just geared toward men who are single and trying to impress women with their impeccable manners-it's an etiquette book for men of all ages and situations and is my top pick. I should also point out that this author has written etiquette books for men on a number of scenarios and topics, so you might be able to find more specific men's etiquette books by him.

Another book that discusses etiquette for men that I like, although in a different way than the one written by John Bridges is called "The Modern Gentleman: A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy and Vice" by Phineas Mollod and Jason Tesauro. This book offers some of the same basic and generalized courtesy tips proffered in Bridges' book on men's etiquette but is more James-Bond-ish. This is a book on etiquette for men that deals with the more upscale manners issues such as ordering and sipping drinks and smoking cigars and the like. This would be an excellent book of men's etiquette for a man looking for the finer points, particularly if he was a very urbane and sophisticated sort. This is not the best book on etiquette for men for the average guy but it is useful to read, especially if you're planning a business or other visit where people are a little more upscale and expect the same from you. If anything else, this book on men's etiquette will teach you that manners can be found everywhere-especially in matter when you didn't think there was necessarily a real right or wrong way to do something, such as sip a martini.

The last book dealing with etiquette for men that I would like to discuss is written by a married couple, Peggy and Peter Post. This book is called "The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success". Although clearly the title of this book on etiquette for men is geared toward the world of business, don't let the title or bland cover fool you. This is a very well-written and thought-out etiquette book for men that discusses nearly every aspect of professional behavior and is a perfect guide for any man looking to brush up on his etiquette in both his professional and personal life, just as the subtitle makes clear. This deals with everything from being in tough nasty situations and handling them gracefully to talking about how to strike up a conversation that is general but good-natured (a hard skill to learn for some). This would be the perfect etiquette book for men who feel as though they are lacking a personal element in their business dealings and will make a great companion men's etiquette book to the others listed here.