It's Not Etiquette: A Guide To Modern Manners

Is there a polite way to 'shush' a chatty person at the movies? Is it rude to arrive at a dinner party without a gift? Is there such a thing as 'fashionably late'? How do I escape boring conversation? Are there conventions for addressing and signing business emails? And when is it unacceptable to answer my mobile phone?

If you've ever pondered these kinds of questions, this book gives you the answers to appropriate behaviour in the twenty-first century. Drawing on historical texts and his extensive exposure to the worlds of fashion and business, as well as his 'Mr Manners' column for The Australian Financial Review's AFR BOSS magazine, David Meagher illustrates how standards of behaviour have evolved as technology has developed and contemporary life has changed. He explores some of life's age-old conventions and brings us up-to-date on some very modern manners too.