Synopses & Reviews
This compendium of manners and mischief offers advice on every situation the enlightened modern man needs to navigate, from drinking and entertaining to wooing and whisker-trimming.
Being a modern gent requires a certain savvy with social media, a working knowledge of craft beers and rhum agricole, and a knack for tipping etiquette, pocket squares, and motoring. The second edition of this manly manual explains how to infuse civility into sticky situations such as sexting and features new sections on tech etiquette from blogging to online dating. Lawyer-raconteur Phineas Mollod and food-and-wine expert Jason Tesauro also debut the “green” gentleman, who espouses a locavorian ethos while shunning conspicuous consumption. Topped off by fresh entertaining and libation tips—including new cocktail recipes—this book provides everything the thoroughly modern man needs to get by in this roguish world.
About the Author
PHINEAS MOLLOD, a newlywed and new dad, uses his Vanderbilt law degree to counsel his wayward pals in divorces and landlord-tenant imbroglios and write about technology law. JASON TESAURO, a wine-and-spirits consultant, conducts The Modern Gentleman Seminar Series and hosts CoxMedia’s Mondays with the Modern Gentleman radio show. They have contributed to Maxim, Sommelier Journal, Match.com, Luxist.com, and Men’s Health and have appeared on programs from CNN to The Montel Williams Show.
Table of Contents
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