What's the real title of that "proper young man's guide" book I saw?
Asked by
soethe6 (
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July 29th, 2007
I was at some vague acquaintance's house--obviously I forget whose--and he had this amazing book. It was something along the lines of "essential knowledge for every sterling young man!" It had the feel of spoofing a prep-school etiquette book for late-adolescent boys. But instead of entries like "how to politely ask a young lady to the theatre," they had stuff like "how to manage a date on the cheap." That entry I remember particularly well: it talked about over-chilling wine so that it'll be just right after a long walk, etc. There were also entries on all kinds of practical and less-practical stuff (e.g., common Latin phrases, etc.). Anyway, I know this is a shot in the dark, but I'd really like to know if anyone knows what book I'm talking about. I think the title may have included something about "rude" boys or rudeness generally, and it certainly mentioned the concept of essential knowledge. But a thorough amazon/library search has yielded nothing. Ideas?
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6 Answers
Could it be "A Gentleman Entertains"? This sounds similar. I picked it up this up skeptically off a friend's liquor cabinet and found that it was not what I thought but actually something that might be useful.
Or there is a whole series including "How to be Gentleman" by John Bridges. Could it be this?
Was the book hardcover with a red cover and a sort of old-fashioned font? If so, I saw it recently too. I can't rememmber the name either! But--It's a new bestseller and I bet if you go into one of hte major bookstores like Barnes & Noble it will be prominently displayed in a real store (rather than looking online) since it has been selling so well.
Very good guess, OCC. In fact, I recently looked through that book at my local B&N;, thinking that I'd finally found what I wanted. Alas, it's the wrong book.
The book you've cited is genuinely aimed at, well, boys. It seeks to foster a well-rounded worldliness in, say, 8-14 year olds. The book I'm thinking of *does* have a similar old-school cover, and it's organized in much the same way. But really it's aimed at the slightly older crowd. Say, 15-20. The book you cite, for example, offers advice on girls along the lines of "farting doesn't impress them" and "flowers will be good when you're older, but not now." Whereas, like I mentioned, the book I'm thinking of has a detailed description of how to manage a date on the cheap--from dressing up w/o breaking the bank to choosing a good cheap wine--and that whole section ends with a brass-tacks talk on how to get her in bed, if I remember correctly.
So it's couched as a "guide to life for clever boys," but it's really a subversive set of suggestions. How to skip class effectively might be another entry, just to guess. The word "clever" might also be in the title, but no dice with internet searches on that front.
Again, though, a very helpful suggestion. Maybe I can use this book to find the one I'm looking for. Any other suggestions?
I believe the book is titled: Move out of your parents basement, and Join the Military.
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