Hints on Etiquette (ePub)

A book of dining, flirting, dancing and smoking, celebrating the 175th anniversary of The London Library

If these 'hints' save the blush but upon one cheek, or smooth the path into 'society' of only one honest family, the object of the author will be attained

As the Industrial Revolution spread wealth and work around Britain, a stronger and more influential middle class began to arise. And with it came a rise in social anxiety. For while nineteenth-century fashions were constantly changing, the importance of the baffling social codes was entirely rigid, and a newly prosperous and bewildered middle class was in dire need of careful guidance and advice.

And so rulebooks such as Hints on Etiquette began to emerge, aiming to demystify the byzantine laws governing behaviour and social interaction. Many of these pieces of advice might seem dated in the 21st century, but the popularity of Downton Abbey, the existence of hereditary peers and a fascination with the royal family are proof that the class system of Victorian Britain still casts its shadow today...

Hints on Etiquette is part of "Found on the Shelves", published with The London Library. The books in this series have been chosen to give a fascinating insight into the treasures that can be found while browsing in The London Library. Now celebrating its 175th anniversary, with over seventeen miles of shelving and more than a million books, The London Library has become an unrivalled archive of the modes, manners and thoughts of each generation which has helped to form it.