This review is a supplement to the excellent review which V_Shaft has posted.

This book, like Brett and Kate McKay's blog, is useful for what you choose to take from it. No, this book will not magically transform you into manly man or a Victorian gentleman or whatever kind of man you aspire to be. The title of the book is The Art of Manliness, not The Philosophy of Manliness. The subtitle is Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man. But for the guy who wants to learns some classical skills of male etiquette, this book is very useful.

In the section Dress Like A Gentleman, the McKays skip casual wear. Most men today know how to do casual. Instead, they focus on how to look sharp when the occasion calls for it. BTW, a pocket square doesn't look old-fashioned; it makes a guy look well-dressed and wealthy---and this book can tell you how to fold one, three different ways.

In the section Fight Like A Gentleman, instruction is given for the most basic moves in Bartitsu, one of the precursors to modern mixed martial arts. It is still taught in martial arts schools today. While the chances of being attacked carrying a cloak and cane are exceedingly slim, the odds of being attacked when a sturdy stick (a tree limb, a tire iron, a baseball bat) and a large piece of fabric (a jacket, a blanket) are involved are pretty good.

Among the many sections of the book are sections giving tips on how to woo and marry a woman. Contrary to much feminist advice today, many women still enjoy being courted by strong, decisive, and romantic alpha men. Thirty years after women's lib, romance novels still sell like like your Grandma's hot-cakes. This book gives you the know-how. If you like romance, don't act like a jerk because you think it attracts women---you'll end up driving off the women you really want. On the other hand, if you really are a jerk, by all means, act like it. You will likely get a woman who is a b*tch herself.

To sum up, this book won't give you the theory, but it will give you the practicum if you feel like some of the refined skills of adulthood are alluding you. ( )

Quaint idea...at once mawkish, pretentious, humorous, pseudo-proper...the discerning reader needs to filter the foppish silliness for the sagacity that is secreted within the product of two very full of themselves writers.

Rephrasing: there actually are good concepts hidden among the authors' perceptions/notions of "manliness"...and there is a lot of affectation, whether innocently conveyed or deliberately crafted I neither know or care to find out. Pick from the parts that make sense. And try to keep the condescending smile to yourself...

(This is a quick read if you have any cosmopolitan sense at all...) ( )

The author presents some common sense information with some good advice and some useless information. While I agree with much of what the author states, he appears to have some antiquated ideas on men's dress. Also, while some women may appreciate an attempt to be a gentlemen, others might be offended by treatment of them as unequals. I liked his discussion of character traits as outlined by Benjamin Franklin. So, the book is a mixed bag of ideas and you can take them or leave them. ( )

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