Modern Etiquette in Private and Public

by Anonymous

288 pages, Hardcover

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Angela Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderful anonymous book, first published by Frederick Warne & Co http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic... (who later published Beatrix Potter) is invaluable for anyone whose subject matter might include late Victorian etiquette. It was first published in 1870 and reprinted several times including in 1900 (my edition).

It includes such wonderful things as, from page 38, under DRESS:

The creed of some persons in respect to dress may be expressed as consisting in a conviction of the necessity of "following the fashion" (shades of Ray Davis?). But this is not the gentleman's view of the question. He, indeed, "follows the fashion" to an extent, because it is an affectation and a vulgarism to outrage it; but he follows it "with a difference". That is to say, he does not hasten to seize on every caprice, and to identify himself with every extravagance. He concedes only to the limits of good taste, and always with an eye to his age, position, and individual peculiarities.

And, from page 7, on the subject of morning calls (which happen between 3 and 5 pm ...):

Take pains to acquire the habit of "small talk" for such occasions, which must not, however, degenerate into gossip; and never let the conversation sink into an awkward silence. Inquiries as to the well-being of your visitor's family or relatives; the public topics of the day; even "the weather" will always furnish matter for chit-chat without discussing the characters of other people. Nothing is more under-bred than scandal.