Introduction x
Part One: The Gregarious Gentleman 1
Chapter One: Out & About 2
Digital Man • Artful Conversation • Jukeboxing • Flaskmanship • Elevator Etiquette • At Table • Skinny-Dipping • Comings & Goings • Family Reunions • Amen Corner
Chapter Two: Entertaining 38
Group Dynamics • Hosting • Intimate Gatherings • The Active Table • Houseguests • Charcoal Briquetiquette • Bachelor Party • Best Manning
Chapter Three: Wooing 65
Flirtation • Dates • The Open Triangle • Do-It-Yourself • Long-Distance Runaround • Exes & Ohs • Taking a Break • The Crack-Up
Part Two: The Inner Gentleman 95
Chapter Four: Gentlemanly Knowledge 96
Literature • Poesy • Classical Music • Jazz • Fitness • Soothsaying • Man Cycle • Fonzarelli Moves & Legerdemain
Chapter Five: Appearance & Style 126
Sartorial Savvy • Accessories • Knots & Cravats • Pyjamas • Eyewear • Hatiquette & Umbrella Policy • Tattoos • Hair, Hygiene, & Habits
Chapter Six: Domesticity 154
Domestic Policy • Vittles • Single Space • Heartifacts • Toiletiquette • Spitting, Hiccoughing, & Other Expulsions
Part Three: The Potent Gentleman 179
Chapter Seven: Venerable Vices: Alcohol, Tobacco, & Fireworks 180
Spirits • Beyond & Tonic • The Solitary Drink • Oenophilia • Bubbly • Working with a Hangover • The Ethic of Alcohol • Tobacco • Substances • Gaming • Golf • The Ponies
Chapter Eight: Between the Sheets 221
Romantic Recon • Prophyletiquette • XXX: Phineas’s Phavourites & Tesauro’s Titillations • The Afterglow • To the Power of 3
Chapter Nine: Trouble 239
Sticky Situations & Solutions • Conversational Gaffes • Secrets, Lies, & Confidences • Office Romance • Losing It • The Bile Barometer • The Apology
Part Four: The Wayfaring Gentleman 263
Chapter Ten: Travel 264
Motoring • Sleeper Trains • Theorem de Valise • Guest Decorum
Part Five: The Ceremonial Gentleman 283
Chapter Eleven: Public Relations 284
Politics of Friends • Social System • Correspondence • Flora • Gifting • Handy Gifting Guide
Chapter Twelve: Beyond Bachelorhood 303
The Fourth Decade • The Rock • Proposals • Vows • The Good Husband
Afterword 314
Bibliography 316
About the Authors 319
Index 320