Etiquette Handbook: A Guide to Good Behaviour from the Boudoir to the Boardroom

by Barbara Cartland

For the record, the word "parlour" is not used, nor is the relatively recent insidious "lounge", except about airports, hotels and liners.Boys should be taught at a very early age€”six or seven€”to say "Sir" to an older man.When there are servants, the plates for the first course are never put on the table until everyone is seated.Written nearly 50 years ago, this handbook conjures up a period when addressing work colleagues by their first names was frowned upon, wives could expect to receive a weekly allowance from their husbands, and hats were ubiquitous. Laced throughout with Barbara Cartland's wit and wisdom and Francis Marshall's illustrations, this is a wonderfully evocative insight into the manners of an England that has largely disappeared.

Genres: Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Born in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com

Reviews

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance novelist Barbara Cartland was quite the scandalous wench in her day! Now her romances are the things of dried rose petals and heaving muslin-clad bosoms, but this etiquette guidebook's title gives you a clue as to how her mind works!

[LaFleurBleue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite funny and rather short book.
I liked that even though some of the etiquette rules were so outdated, some others remain actually valid even today.
No major breakthrough to be expected anyway !

[nadjah · Rating 4 out of 5]

definitely of its time, however very elegant and chic, francis marshall's illustrations are absolutely delightful.

[Aashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide for youngsters now a days. knowing more about etiquette is interesting and being elegant and well mannered attractive.

[Zelah Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this non-fiction book by Barbara Cartland years ago in a bar that had a book corner for customers. I looked for it for years but it was really hard to track down, eventually my mother found a copy for me and gave it to me as a present.

Other than Barbara Cartland's strange conviction that men prefer women to wear a lot of make-up, the rest of her advice is very sensible and useful. It could hold its own quite happily with most contemporary 'how to make friends and be popular' books.

[Baliblonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une bonne base de références en matière d étiquette, de savoir-vivre et de bonnes manières. Mais en quelle année ce livre a-t-il été écrit? Certains prinipes semblent relever du début du siècle dernier. Néanmoins une lecture agréable et divertissante qui change un peu de registre en matière de litterature didactique.

[Cathie Maud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely insight into the etiquette of the past, with some pointers still being incredibly relevant in today's world.