Do you suffer qualms of doubt when confronted with the problem of how to ask the Smiths to Sunday supper or... how to answer an initiation?

This handbook of good taste and good manners, in preparation for more than four years, carries all the weight and prestige of a magazine which is the recognized authority on taste. It is the most comprehensive book of its sort ever written and there is literally no question of current manners and accepted social usage which is not answered.

VOGUE'S BOOK OF ETIQUETTE
A Complete Guide to traditional forms and modern usage
by Mellicent Fenwick, Associate Editor of Vogue

From the Preface - The new standards of behavior are based on what millions of people have accepted as right or wrong.  There is no longer any question of admission 'by ticket only.' Etiquette is a forum for citizens, open to anyone who cares about the  amenities of living.

Etiquette is... concerned with human beings and their relationships to one another.

Good behavior is everyone's business, and good taste can be everyone's goal.

Vogue's Book of Etiquette was written for all kinds of people.  It is addressed to those who are seeking a trustworthy and convenient reference book on the technicalities of social usage.  It is also designed for those who are interested in a full explanation of the spirit of our customs, as well as their form.

It is especially directed to those who care about the amenities of living - whether they happen to live in one-room apartments or big houses, and no matter what their income. It its practical approach to modern conditions, it has covered the whole field of entertaining - from the most elaborate to the simplest, with examples and detailed descriptions, of every degree of formality.  Weddings, furnishing a house, entertainment, correspondence, manners, household customs, ceremonies and events, and clothes are discussed from a sound and sensible point of view. This point of view maintains that there are many degrees of elaborateness and formability, and that all degrees may be correct, depending on time and circumstance.  Vogues' Book of Etiquette will help each reader to choose the degree that is best and most suitable for them.

The salient quality of VOGUE'S BOOK OF ETIQUETTE, as compared to other such books, is its democratic character.  Heretofore, "etiquette" has been a word synonymous with a formal way of life narrowly confined to a relatively small group of people.  Many felt that it could not apply more widely.  This excerpt from the author's preface to the book shows the changes etiquette has undergone:

"The new standards of behavior are based on what millions of people have accepted as right or wrong.  There is no longer any question of admission 'by ticket only.'  Etiquette is a forum for citizens, open to anyone who cares about the amenities of living. Good behavior is everybody's business.'

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MANNERS

Topics Include... More than Manners ~ Manners in General ~ Men's Manners ~ Women's Manners ~ A Girl on Her Own ~ Debutantes ~ Concerning the  Young ~ Table Manners ~ Introductions, Acknowledgments, Greetings, and Good-byes ~ Presents ~ Tipping ~ Travel ~ Dances ~ Games and Sports ~ Gambling ~ Personal Publicity ~ The Choice of Words ~ Jobs ~ "One" World Etiquette

The first section of the book has 20 chapters, including detailed points of manners for men, women, children up to the age of 16; manners for the girl on her own; table manners; introductions; presents; tipping;, manners and customs observed in games and sports and at clubs; manners in business and in business interviews; manners around the world.

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CEREMONIES AND EVENTS

Topics Include... Christenings ~ Engagements ~ Divorce and Separation ~ Funerals and Mourning ~ Flying the Flag

The ceremonies and events which are discussed in this section are the milestones of a lifetime: christenings, engagements, divorce and separation and funerals. Special occasions which occur so infrequently that many people have had little experience with them. For those  there is detailed information on christenings (arrangements to be made with the clergyman, invitations, how to dress); engagements (presents, making the announcement, parties, showers); divorce and separation; funerals and mourning, letters of condolence and letters of thanks.

Practical information which you may still refer to today include: Letters and answers to letters of condolence... Thank-You letters for flowers

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WEDDINGS

Topics Include...Preparations for a Wedding ~ Procedure of a  Wedding ~ The House Wedding ~ The Formal Evening Wedding ~ Small Weddings ~ Wedding Invitations and Announcements ~ Dressing for the Wedding ~ Wedding Presents ~ The Trousseau ~ Who Pays for What
Even in the simplest of weddings, there are certain customs that must be observed, some because they are beautiful and romantic, others because they involve social and economic factors.

All you need to know, from invitation to wedding reception. If you are planning a formal church wedding, you'll appreciate the completeness with which everything from reserving the church to plans for the wedding trip has been described. Small, informal weddings and weddings at home are explained with equal care.

The main thing to avoid in weddings is elaborate perfection at the expense of anything else.

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HOUSEHOLD CUSTOMS

Topics Include...The Degrees of Formality ~ Setting the Table ~ Serving ~ Fashions in Food ~ Fashions in Table Decoration ~ The Household Staff ~ Smaller Household

Whether you like an informal or a formal pattern of living, you will find here all the details which make housekeeping easier and more successful. The standard theory is fully explained and so are all the small points-how to set every- kind of table; how to serve wines and cocktails, and special foods; how to plan menus and meals in big households and in small ones.

In this section a great many details of the physical and practical aspects of housekeeping are minutely described.  All of them can contribute toward the achievement of a well-run house and - granted the right sprit - a well-run household.

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FURNISHING A HOUSE

Topics Include... Decoration ~ Linen ~ Silver ~ Glass ~ China ~ Wood ~ Ovenware for Cooking and Serving ~ Monograms

Brides and married women-or even bachelors-who are furnishing a house for the first time will find hundreds of useful ideas in this section: interior decoration; choosing linen, silver, glass and china, with a budget or without one; monograms and how to use them. Present-givers, too, will find a mine of hints here.

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ENTERTAINING

Topics Include... Entertaining at Home ~ Entertaining Without a Maid ~ Seating and Precedence ~ Entertaining in Clubs, Restaurants, Night Clubs, etc. ~ Memos to Hosts ~ Memos to Guests ~ Formal Entertaining ~ On Being Entertained at the White House ~ Invitations, Acceptances, and Regrets

Here there is a play-by-play description of every form of entertaining--at home and in restaurants or clubs, with a big staff, one maid or no maid at all.  The role of guest is discussed as fully as that of the hosts, and acceptances and regrets are described as completely as the wording and forms of invitations.

Can I sit up with other guests when the host and hostess have gone to bed?

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CORRESPONDENCE

Topics Include... Writing Paper ~ Letters ~ Forms of Address ~ Cards

Everyone needs to know how to write intelligent, correct letters for the never-ending occasions which demand them. In this section are sample letters of almost every kind, information about writing paper, visiting cards and Christmas or business cards. Here, too in concise charts, are correct forms of address both written and spoken, for officials and others, here and abroad.

Bread-and-Butter Letters, Thank-You Letters for Wedding Presents, Thank you Letters for Letters of Condolence...

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CLOTHES

A description of clothes for men, women and children for all occasions at all seasons of the year with specific suggestions concerning colors, material and accessories.

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BOOK EXCERPTS...

Overanxious Hosts (Entertaining):
Hosts should be careful not to confuse hospitality with over anxiety...  Many hosts too anxiously and too often urge their guests to eat, to drink, to sit down, to com out on the porch where it is cool, or to come nearer the fire where it is warm.  Guests like to be offered food or a drink once, and perhaps even a second and third time if there is a suitable interval between, but no one.. likes to be urged repeatedly.

Thank you letters of wedding presents:
There are a hundred variations of the thank-you letter; but that one must be written to each person who sent a present is, as we have said, one of the strictest rules in all wedding etiquette.

Tipping:
All those who are usually tipped must be tipped as a matter of justice, because their wages are predicated on this custom.

You will find some interesting and entertaining passages which are not as useful today...

Smoking:
Women (and men, to of coarse) should not smoke while dancing.

Town day clothes for men (Winter):
Avoid shirts made of green-tinted broadcloth; for that matter, anything green except neckties and socks.  Green hats, suits, and overcoats can be particularly bad.

Proper dress while hunting:
Waterfowl shooting, which properly means only ducks and geese, is almost always a cold proposition.  Underwear is very important because, with wool next to the skin, fewer outer clothes are needed, and there is more freedom in shooting.  Any clothes that will show must be in neutral colors to blend with the landscape...

On being entertained at the White House:
Like an invitation to a royal place, an invitation to the White House cannot be refused.  No previous engagement, no trip out of town, no family wedding or christening can be used as an excuse.

Things to avoid in country day clothes for women:
Avoid sweaters of fancy yarns, such as boucle...belts of any fine, thin leather in dark blue or black; belts, in any color, which have rhinestone buckles... hats of velvet or silk or trimmed with satin or long feathers... shoes with open toes or heels, in any color, if they have high heels... colors that look acidly synthetic; as magenta, fuchsia, chartreuse or hard aquamarine-blue; colors, such as dark blue and black, which are apt to look citified...