The Butler's Guide to Clothes Care, Managing the Table, Running the Home, and Other Graces

by Fiona St. Aubyn and Stanley Ager

Book Overview

Perched on an island off the shores of Cornwall, England, the soaring castle of St. Michael's Mount has been home to the St. Aubyn family since 1647. For nearly thirty years, Stanley Ager, one of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671436422
• ISBN13: 9780671436421
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 191 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A wise Englishman's "Feng Shui" of gracious living.

Fascinating look at elegant living, through the expert perspective of an actual English butler (his service began in 1922). The book is roughly equal parts reminiscences about the way the great houses operated, and step-by-step instructions on serving port, polishing shoes, setting the table, and caring for silver. His instructions on folding clothes for travel are thoroughly effective. Sprinkled throughout are more extreme tidbits, such as the proper way to iron a newspaper (so that Gentleman #2 has a "fresh" newspaper, once Gentleman #1 has finished with it). What comes through, loud and clear, is Mr. Ager's craftsmanlike pride in the work that he did. Flicking the dust off a suit jacket takes skill, and hearing him teach that skill is a pleasure.