The Bookseller.com

20th November 2008

« Headlines

Etiquette text from Debrett’s

31.07.08 Benedicte Page

Publisher Debrett’s, which bills itself as “the modern authority on matters of etiquette, taste and achievement”, is to publish what it calls a “definitive” book on contemporary manners.

Debrett’s A–Z of Modern Manners (September, h/b, £11.99) is the publisher’s first comprehensive book on the subject for 10 years, although it also produces other volumes about manners, such as Manners for Men and Etiquette for Girls. The publisher is most famous for its genealogical reference guide to the British aristocracy, Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage, now in its 147th edition.

The new book is to offer guidance on coping with such knotty contemporary problems as the right way of using a BlackBerry or handling social networking, as well as perennially popular subjects such as tipping, chivalry and escaping from bores. The publisher is planning to sell it through the retail trade as well as from www.debretts.co.uk.

Debrett’s chairman Conrad Free said: “In today’s complex and fast-moving world, the place for manners is often overlooked and misunderstood. Debrett’s A–Z of Modern Manners will help people to navigate their way through familiar and not so familiar situations, and to feel confident that they have the answers.”

Benedicte Page Books Debrett's