A respected social critic offers an insightful and amusing exploration of the slow death of manners and the steady triumph of boorishness in America, showing how the decline of manners has a long and socially significant history. 25,000 first printing.
"Refreshing...[Caldwell] packs in his information with unobtrusive dexterity in a style that is modest, readable, intelligent and companionable."--Naomi Bliven, "The New York Times Book Review"
"Charmingly written, scrupulously researched...An entertaining take on the fluid nature of decorum through the ages."--"Entertainment Weekly"
"An entertaining and morally important book...Caldwell is splendidly convincing when it comes to class, and downright brilliant on the ways social and geographical mobility have prevented the establishment of settled, enduring codes of behavior in the United States."--A.O. Scott, "Newsday"""
Refreshing...[Caldwell] packs in his information with unobtrusive dexterity in a style that is modest, readable, intelligent and companionable. "Naomi Bliven, The New York Times Book Review"
Charmingly written, scrupulously researched...An entertaining take on the fluid nature of decorum through the ages. "Entertainment Weekly"
An entertaining and morally important book...Caldwell is splendidly convincing when it comes to class, and downright brilliant on the ways social and geographical mobility have prevented the establishment of settled, enduring codes of behavior in the United States. "A.O. Scott, Newsday""
"Refreshing...[Caldwell] packs in his information with unobtrusive dexterity in a style that is modest, readable, intelligent and companionable." --Naomi Bliven, The New York Times Book Review
"Charmingly written, scrupulously researched...An entertaining take on the fluid nature of decorum through the ages." --Entertainment Weekly
"An entertaining and morally important book...Caldwell is splendidly convincing when it comes to class, and downright brilliant on the ways social and geographical mobility have prevented the establishment of settled, enduring codes of behavior in the United States." --A.O. Scott, Newsday