Vogue's Book Of Etiquette

At the time of its publication—1948— this was a modern and more practical substitute for Emily Post's celebrated book, but it has itself been replaced by other more up-to-date books. Some of the advice is of very limited use these days—for example, in deciding what clothes to take for a yachting weekend, the first point is to find out—tactfully—if the yacht is under or over fifty feet. Under that length you may be expected to help crew, while over, there will probably be a hired crew.Few today will need to be instructed that members of the domestic staff are not introduced to family members or guests, but it's an interesting point nonetheless.And you cannot help but wonder what an author who considers distasteful the singing of "I Love You Truly" and "Because" before the wedding ceremony would say about the use of "The Second Time Around" when divorce has preceded the nuptials.What does remain of value are the general outlines of courtesy at the beginning and the democratic tone of the advice. It's also nice to think there was ever a time when these kinds of courtesy were more the rule than the exception.