{"product_id":"would-it-kill-you-to-stop-doing-that-a-modern-guide-to-manners-hardcover","title":"Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That: A Modern Guide to Manners - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eHenry Alford\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"We all know bad manners when we see them,\" NPR and \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e contributor Henry Alford observes at the beginning of his new book. But what, he asks, do good manners look like in our day and age? When someone answers their cell phone in the middle of dining with you, or runs you off the sidewalk with their doublewide stroller, or you enter a post-apocalyptic public restroom, the long-revered wisdom of Emily Post can seem downright prehistoric. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Troubled by the absence of good manners in his day-to-day life-by the people who clip their toenails on the subway or give three-letter replies to one's laboriously crafted missives-Alford embarks on a journey to find out how things might look if people were on their best behavior a tad more often. He travels to Japan (the \"Fort Knox Reserve\" of good manners) to observe its culture of collective politesse. He interviews etiquette experts both likely (Judith Martin, Tim Gunn) and unlikely (a former prisoner, an army sergeant). He plays a game called Touch the Waiter. And he volunteers himself as a tour guide to foreigners visiting New York City in order to do ground-level reconnaissance on cultural manners divides. Along the way (in typical Alford style) he also finds time to teach Miss Manners how to steal a cab; designates the World's Most Annoying Bride; and tosses his own hat into the ring, volunteering as an online etiquette coach. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Ultimately, by tackling the etiquette questions specific to our age-such as Why shouldn't you ask a cab driver where's he's from?, Why is posting baby pictures on Facebook a fraught activity? and What's the problem with \"No problem\"?-Alford finds a wry and warm way into a subject that has sometimes been seen as pedantic or elitist. And in this way, he looks past the standard \"dos\" and \"don'ts\" of good form to present an illuminating, seriously entertaining book about grace and civility, and how we can simply treat each other better.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHenry Alford\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of three acclaimed works of investigative humor: \u003ci\u003eHow To Live: A Seach for Wisdom from Old People (While They are Still on this Earth)\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eBig Kiss: One Actor's Desperate Attempt to Claw His Way to the Top\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eMunicipal Bondage: One Man's Anxiety-Producing Adventures in the Big City\u003c\/i\u003e. He has been a regular contributor to the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e, and a staff writer at \u003ci\u003eSpy\u003c\/i\u003e. He has also written for the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDetails\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTravel \u0026amp; Leisure\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eVillage Voice\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eParis Review\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Manhattan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 256\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.4 x 5.8 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 03, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42194461261904,"sku":"9780446557665","price":43.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0592\/9540\/0016\/files\/MElpb3VkRU1vbGpqc1BObC8xRWlXUT09.webp?v=1775116249","url":"https:\/\/palm-malen-gift-shop-pmrc.myshopify.com\/products\/would-it-kill-you-to-stop-doing-that-a-modern-guide-to-manners-hardcover","provider":"Palm Malen Gift Shop -PMRC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}