Rating: 
Summary: Classy Book with Great Information
Review: Of the hundreds of books on proper conduct for men, this handbook stands out as one of the best. Mr. Bridges has taken a rather difficult concept and made it clear and easy to understand. A great addition to your library. - Clint Greenleaf, author of "Attention to Detail"
Rating: 
Summary: Rather patronizing
Review: Somewhere around page one of this book, you begin to feel John Bridges thinks he's writing for a child. Every paragraph begins with, "A gentleman knows...", "A gentleman wears...", "A gentleman thinks..." You could swap out, "A gentleman" with "Timmy the Turtle" and complete the inference.Didn't anyone suggests to Mr. Bridges that there where other, less redundant ways to handle this repetition? And drinking beer from a can?!?! For a much more interesting read, check out, "The Book of Good Manners" by Lord Chesterfield. To get the same information presented in this book; but better written, shorter and with humor, read Scott Omelianuk and Ted Allen's "Things a Man Should Know (about style)."
Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource for gentlemen everywhere.
Review: That this book commends itself to the noblest aspects of any man, that it immediately respects one's intelligence and taste, and that without pomposity it delineates common standards by which a gentleman can gauge his own life most certainly sets it apart from other men's style literature. I have given this book as a gift to gentlemen friends, certainly not as an unsubtle hint about behavior, but as a means by which they may augment their already-polished gentlemanhood; each of them has thanked me profusely. There's a corner of my library reserved for the handful of books I treasure most. This book resides there. Crisp as a well-pressed shirt, and exuding the character of a fine brandy, this is certainly a worthy gift for any gentleman.
Rating:
Summary: A simple book.
Review: The biggest complaint people have against books on etiquette and manners is that most of what's in them is common sense. However,what they forget is that such books are usually given as gifts to children or significant others who probably can use the help. This book fits the bill. It's direct and to the point, and can be read in less than an hour. Everything in it is useful and correct, even though most of it will qualify as "common sense." While it is somewhat limited in scope, I have no hesitation in recommending it for a young man who needs some polishing, or for an older one who's lost it.
Rating: 
Summary: Quick Read...
Review: The biggest complaint people have against books on etiquette and manners is that most of what's in them is common sense. However,what they forget is that such books are usually given as gifts to children or significant others who probably can use the help. This book fits the bill. It's direct and to the point, and can be read in less than an hour. Everything in it is useful and correct, even though most of it will qualify as "common sense." While it is somewhat limited in scope, I have no hesitation in recommending it for a young man who needs some polishing, or for an older one who's lost it.
Rating:
Summary: Elevates personal preferences to gentlemanly prerequisites
Review: There is much in this book that is useful and entirely correct. Unfortunately, the good is drowned by the instances in which the author is just plain wrong and the instances in which the author mistakes his own personal preferences for requirements of gentlemanly behavior. What follows are some of the more egregious examples, but the list is by no means exhaustive: 1) Bridges claims that a gentleman always wears an undershirt. Although I always do, I understand that this is a matterof personal preference, not a question of etiquette. 2) Bridges claims (repeatedly) that a gentleman never declines an indication and always accepts the first invitation that is presented to him. This is the biggest bunch of baloney that I have ever heard of. While there are some invitations that one cannot turn down (to your brother's wedding, for example), one does not have to allow any person at any time to allocate one's time in order to be a gentleman. Miss Manners would not approve. 3) Bridges claims that a gentleman would not wear brown shoes to a wedding or a funeral, when, in fact, the correct pair of brown shoes is every bit as solemn and appropriate as black shoes. Alan Flusser would not approve. 4) Bridges believes that one must have every piece of stemware known to man in order to be a gentleman, but he does not believe that it is necessary to drink beer from anything but a can. Again, Miss Manners would not approve. I really could go on and on, but the point is clear: Bridges simply doesn't know nearly as much as he thinks he does.
Rating:
Summary: an aspiring gentleman's view...
Review: This book has its problems, to be sure, but the truth of the matter is that 85% (at least) of "How To Be A Gentleman : A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy" is usable, practical information. It's written in a bulleted style that allows anyone to read a little or a lot without being caught up in excessive narrative. Before one buys the other books in author John Bridges' series, one should start here.
Rating:
Summary: an aspiring gentleman's view...
Review: This book has its problems, to be sure, but the truth of the matter is that 85% (at least) of "How To Be A Gentleman : A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy" is usable, practical information. It's written in a bulleted style that allows anyone to read a little or a lot without being caught up in excessive narrative. Before one buys the other books in author John Bridges' series, one should start here.
Rating: 
Summary: Truly a mixed bag....
Review: This book has some real pros and some real cons. The *majority* of the advice given is practical, no nonsense etiquette. For this reason I would heartily recommend this publication to a gentleman looking to improve upon such areas in his life. There are other books however that he should supplement his learning, in my opinion. Now, having said that, there are some glaring problems w/ this book. I.) The suggestion that a man should NEVER turn down an invitation is nuts. The author gave the reader the out in the event of illness or death in the family. Come on, there are times, for whatever reason, that you have to respectfully decline. 2.) Drink beer from a CAN!?! How did that slip in there? First, at a truly formal occasion you simply don't suck down the suds. At any other occasion it is more than acceptable, but how hard is it to put it in a glass? Drinking beer from a can in your living room by yourself (or w/ your wife) after a long hard week, sure that's fine, but elsewhere drink from a glass. 3.) There is one point that states simply, "If a gentleman can afford to do so, he should have someone else clean his home." Why? There is a fine line between snobbery and etiquette and this crossed it. If it said if the man and his wife are to busy to keep a house clean, then that would make a lot of practical sense. Otherwise, it's a waste. 4.) The other gives the reader full liberty to not wear socks in many occasions, but says w/o question he must wear a undershirt. Though I live in the North and always wear the two aforementioned articles, I could see why a gentleman from Dixie would not want to wear an undershirt during the summer. Socks are a must, IMHO. 5.) The quib about always bringing condoms was both out of place and inappropriate in my opinion. Such sexual matters are both personal and vary depending on a gentleman's religious background. It didn't belong in this book. Good day.
Rating:
Summary: Contemporary Common Sense
Review: This book is wonderful at seeing beyond the minutiae of ordinary books on etiquette, and cutting to the core of what is truly useful in daily life.
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