Etiquette For Dummies (For Dummies (Psychology & Self Help)),   ISBN:9780470106723

Customer Rating: 

If anything, it at least makes for an interesting read. I keep mine around the house in case I want to write a letter or throw a party. Not just for the dummies.

Customer Rating: 

I have liked the book and it covers many social, family and work environment situations, so it is good to have. However, in some instances it mixes American and European Etiquette (and twice already I have found mistakes between the two). It is really "for dummies" so if you are knowledgable in this area you will find this far too vague. However, it still had points to learn although I will still have to buy another one more advanced to complement it.

Customer Rating: 

I have given this book to all my nieces and nephews and other young people. It gives excellent tips and hints about how to avoid social mistakes and how to feel more at ease in social situations. It is very easy to read, with a good format, and highlights special tips to remember. It is a good preparation for high school students and those going off to college as well as young people who are entering the business world for the first time. A good summary of the basics.

Customer Rating: 

This is a fabulous way to reinforce life lessons for upper elementary to middle school aged children. It covers the basics to the contemporary. I love it.

Customer Rating: 

If you feel you were raised in a barn and in need of a primer on the basics of etiquette, this is the book for you. It includes very helpful diagrams on formal table settings, clearly defines dresscodes like "business casual" and "semi-formal," and maps out proper wedding and baby shower behavior.

Author Sue Fox founded Etiquette Survival, Inc. [...] and you can tell from the tone of this book that most of her company's interactions are with the business world. Reading chapters like "Your Most Important Presentation: Yourself," you can almost see the powerpoint presentation undoubtedly accompanying the author's corporate etiquette talks. Since Fox also wrote "Business Etiquette for Dummies," the focus on corporate culture seems a little puzzling and redundant. A lot of us seeking etiquette advice work as tradespeople, teachers, healthcare professionals, and homemakers (read: not corporate employees) - so a more general tone would be appreciated.

There are a few details about this book that may prove irritating for some. For one, the tone of Fox's publication is decidedly less light-hearted, fun, and funny than most other "For Dummies" books. Rather than poking fun at etiquette "rules" (and herself), Fox comes across as a rather wooden, opinionated stickler at times. The pages of this tome abound with recommendations for ladies to always wear flesh-colored hose in the workplace and pronouncements that e-mail is a lesser form of communication than the handwritten letter. Since this book was published in 1999, some of the information in it also seems a bit dated (ex. references to beepers going off in restaurants).

When this book is reprinted and revised, it would be nice to see Fox's prim and proper persona tempered a bit by a more humorous, self-deprecating co-author who can step back and see etiquette as a set of historically-grounded skills to be learned rather than a set of unchanging rules. First and foremost, etiquette is about respecting other people's feelings and abiding by the golden rule (thus etiquette can change from situation to situation), and I don't think Fox highlighted that enough at the beginning of the book and throughout. Updated, tweaked more for the general public than the corporate world, and given a generous dose of humor, this could be a five-star book.