Stuff Every Man Should Know

by Brett Cohen

This pocket-sized guide of man skills is the little black book every modern man needs.
 
For everything from car maintenance to grilling instructions to wardrobe tips and more, this handy reference features everything a man should know (but probably doesn’t).
 
·How to Cast a Fishing Rod
 
·How to Make the Perfect Martini
     
·How to Negotiate a Raise
     
·Five Pick-Up Lines in Five Different Languages
   
·How to Bet on Horses
     
·How to Give a Great Massage

Genres: Reference, Self Help, Nonfiction, How To

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2009

Reviews

[Dominic Piacentini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure the only reason this is titled “Stuff Every MAN Should Know” is because lesbians already know how to do all this shit. Changing tires, tying knots, opening beer without a bottle opener? I mean come on!

Don’t roast me for this too much fam. I received this as a gift nearly a decade ago, and my brain cannot handle any sort of literary complexity this week.

[Mike Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a short read, Stuff Every Man Should Know accomplishes what it set out to do: Provide a checklist for the modern man to work through. Cohen does a great job keeping the tone light and entertaining.

[Jaime M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it and tagged all the places I wanted to expand on for my son.

[Lucia DeFeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not even gonna be funny with this, genuinely if you don’t have anyone in your life to teach you things this book would come in handy in multiple scenarios.

Like yes every person should just know how to do some of these things but maybe some don’t.
I think in modern times people forget to keep things simple and that’s what this book is. Some things I laughed at bc certain things seem so simple to me like how to make a bed but I had to remember some people might never have been taught this. This book had a lot of life lessons to learn that were at least topical, and could be delved into in more detail, but more ppl should have guides like this for easy answers that they can turn to, we don’t HAVE to Google everything. :)

[Matthew Lutkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t tell if some parts were satirical or not?

[Kurt Pankau · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some fun stuff in this pocket-reference, but a lot of it's hit-or-miss. Instructions on building a campfire are good, but the instructions on dancing are pretty much useless. Instructions on stocking a bar are good, but why do I need to know pick-up lines in five different languages? (And what happens if they work? How do you continue the conversation if you don't speak _____?)

It's slight and the ebook is a little over-priced (I read the entire thing in less than an hour, and I think it costs around $6), but it's an entertaining library loan, if you can find it.

[Oleksiy Kononov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Success hides in simplicity, that's all about Cohen's Stuff. And I have to confess, I've learnt some useful stuff from it :)

[Alex I. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for a stocking stuffer and bathroom book.

[Adam Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good bathroom read though lacking as a serious advice book to give to a young man as a guide to life.

Note this book was revised in 2021, so earlier reviews are about a slightly different book.

There are some good tips here, a lot of entertaining info, but too much bad, weird or incomplete advice. For example, the two pages on poker tell you the terminology but it's weird to present the terms in alphabetical order rather than order of play. The info isn't useful for "penny" stakes oddball poker that most people will play in home games with wild cards and split pots. And there are hundred page books that cover the basics for anyone who wants to learn to play Hold 'em. It's missing the most important advice to understand about poker, which is to not play with money you can't afford to lose. Far more important than understanding what an ante is.

Likewise the section on creating a home bar will get you to spend a few hundred dollars on a nice setup that you'll never use, unless you run in the rare crowd that has true cocktail parties rather than drinking beer and wine. Just have ingredients for two favorite cocktails and you're golden.

But the chapters are short, so easy to read when you only have a few minutes. I probably learned a few things, not that you couldn't find them in 15 seconds on the internet if you needed to know.

[Ryan DeSanctis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for Christmas as a stocking stuffer. Although short and simple, I learned a few new valuable things from it. It teaches about stuff you might normally learn in schools, but is still necessary for life. For example; jump starting a car, changing a tire, tie a tie. I would argue these things are necessary for a man, or woman, to learn. However, somethings wen't for profession benefit. They were rather targeted at fun in life. It's this part of the book that I wouldn't recommend for younger people. Some other stuff was comical while other was targeted at success and work life. I would recommend this book to anyone, man or woman. I think most things are universal for either sex or gender.

[DAVID · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will keep this brief & try to be as nice as possible.
There are portions of this book that may be useful to some individuals that either never had someone to show them basics but I feel that most methods outlined in this book are too simplistic.
There are a great many ways to do things covered in this book and also, there are a great many things that are covered that should not be dine if this is your only reference on the matter - holding a baby is a prime example.
Do not buy this book.

[Corvidianus · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s kind of a playboy’s guide to heterosexuality, but the omelette section was solid, and even though I was aware of most of it, and some things felt very culturally specific (mainstream USA/UK) & not all that relevant, if you didn’t know & wanted to know, the info was accessibly & succinctly presented in, I think, pretty effective and accurate ways. Except for the guide to women’s sizing - which he corrects in the sequel.

[Emily Gilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute. I don’t think I’m the intended audience, but the diagrams and lists for how to build a campfire, how to tie a tie, and how to compose an all-purpose cocktail cart/kit were pretty helpful. I’d say this type of book is due for an update, though: I think almost anyone, not just “the men”, could benefit from knowing such tidbits.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little more than a bathroom read. Full of lots of stereotypes like "how to shotgun a beer" and "how to fart in public and get away with it". A lot of the more informational things are things that your average adult male will already know how to do, like how to tie a tie.

[Eugenio Muñoz Solís · Rating 3 out of 5]

No está mal para regalar a alguien y hacer la gracia.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good, some bad, some terrible. Presented in a fun and engaging way.

[Antonio Vernacchio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given to me by my wife and an easy read. It was very basic and not very enlightening.

[John T Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have written this. I think I might have picked up one or two things, but also thought about a dozen or more that should have been part of this book.

[Keaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictably sexist, but has good tips. Didn't religiously agree that every man should know a list of 12 popular Playboy playmates, but most other things were helpful.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this is ok, I cannot imagine when I will use the skills I don't already know just because I don't put myself in those circumstances typically.

[Joshua Hutchinson]

Good Read

I was reading it more out of curiosity, and found a few useful nuggets I didn't know (or rather considered beforehand).

[Bill Rand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm too old and I just know all this stuff, but would make a nice present for a high school or even college graduate.

[Colton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the information is common sense but I took away a few nice tips. My favorite was 'how to win a drink at a bar'. Very clever.

[Chas Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple guide, easy read of 1-2 pages per topic. Men should know all of this. Agree with most topics

[Carlton Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Placing the subject a bit off-center creates a more interesting photograph."

[Malli (Chapter Malliumpkin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The following review is based off my own opinions, thoughts and reactions. So in other words brace yourself. *There may be inappropriate words such as curse words.* You have been advised in advance.*

Yes, yes, triple yes!!!



I love the last 18-19 pages of this book! They're absolutely perfect and every man needs to know these because they make all the difference in the world to the special ladies in their lives!

Everything else in the book was insanely informative. I personally like learning about being handy and having all these new things to experiment with. While I like helping out my husband, it would be nice to know what I'm doing half the time and this book certainly helps with clarifying things up!

It really is a handy book to have around in the house. I feel like this is going to be a good book to pass down to your sons or just keep in the family for references to certain things anytime. A really handy book!

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! Although, contrary to the title, one doesn't need to be a man to appreciate it. Still, it's the perfect gift for any husband, boyfriend, father, brother, son or friend. This is a great coffee table book with lots of conversation starters and helpful hints that every man (or his woman) can appreciate. I picked up this great little gem at a tag sale, and thought it would be perfect for my BF. The price sticker read "priceless, make an offer " and I stole it for 50 cents!!!

[Harmony Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the content wasn't really useful to me (maybe because I'm not a man?), but I did learn how to throw a punch, stock a bar, and light a campfire. I gave copies to a few people in my family months ago, so far I'm the only one to actually read it. I guess the first thing to do before giving this to any of the men in your life is to make sure they actually read.

[Nicholas Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a great book that every man should own. It has directions on how to do anything and everything. From how to tie a tie to the best way to start a fire. It is a great book. It fits in your pocket, easy to reference, and covers a large array of topics. Buy it for all of the men in your life.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

My mom gave me this; apparently there's more stuff about being a man that I needed to know. The author mis-spelled "puedo" (as "puerdo") in the section entitled "5 pickup lines in 5 different languages!"