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MISS MANNERS RESCUES CIVILIZATION

Name: MISS MANNERS RESCUES CIVILIZATION
Author: Judith Martin
ISBN: 0-517-70164-2

FROM SEXUAL HARASSMENT, FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS, DISSING AND OTHER LAPSES IN CIVILITY

by Judith Martin ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1996

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Here is Dear Miss Manners once again, scolding and shaking her finger at Gentle Readers who fall short in the task of lubricating the increasing, squeaky hinges of social interaction. This time, Martin (Miss Manners on [Painfully Proper] Weddings, 1996, etc.} adopts Miss Manners's familiar, self- mocking pseudo-Victorian persona (``totally besotted with the idea of proper behavior'') to address a host of millennial dilemmas in etiquette. These range from legislating protection for the American flag to netiquette on the Internet. She deplores the first (the power of etiquette is sufficient safeguard, she maintains, siding with the Supreme Court) and hails the second as a resurgence of standards to guide the new electronic community. In between, she fearlessly, but politely, tackles issues of date rape, sexual harassment, public protest, political correctness, dress codes, and even proper behavior in the operating room. Why, she wonders grumpily, should a nervous patient or even other members of the surgical team be subjected to the surgeon's taste in music—or any music at all, for that matter? That, like smoking in an unventilated room, is inflicting a possibly offensive personal whim on a defenseless public. Incidentally, etiquette does not preclude that public, individually or collectively, from protesting strongly—but politely, of course. As amusing (or irritating, depending on your tolerance for those who refer to themselves in the third person) as Miss Manners may be, she takes her subject seriously enough to equate manners with morals. Etiquette is more than social convention—it promotes orderly and predictable behavior that enhances human dignity and reduces conflict. It is worth preserving, she feels, even as traditions evolve. With civility as the foundation of civilization, Miss Manners evokes a kinder, gentler lifestyle that still packs a (ladylike) punch. (20 b&w line drawings, not seen) (Author tour)

Pub Date: June 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-517-70164-2

Page Count: 528

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
MISS MANNERS' GUIDE TO DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY
by Judith Martin

- BOOK REVIEW
MISS MANNERS' BASIC TRAINING
by Judith Martin

- BOOK REVIEW
MISS MANNERS BASIC TRAINING
by Judith Martin

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.