For consumption in very small doses over a very long time, this can be occasionally amusing. (That it is also completely politically incorrect and out of keeping with modern times--or maybe any period of history--makes it difficult to swallow in larger pieces.) But no other book of manners will advise you on how to act at your own execution, so if you find yourself in such a situation, look no further. ( )

A subversive guide for the social climber – in the 1970s, or earlier. It’s like a character study of the “slobbering ass kisser, smirking interrogator, smug skeptic, bumptious begrudger and other malapert odious,” types that fill Donleavy’s novels.

Donleavy offers advice on accent improvement, decorating tips (“above all, avoid looking as if all you’ve got is money. The colour that makes you do this is purple”), and changing your name (“The world’s richest families often have the names best suited to you.”)

If you think death is an equalizer – think again. In Donleavy’s world, being “to the manor born” extends into the afterlife.

The book is almost nothing but humor. Artists are described as “folk manfully maintaining that money is not everything.” The insane have “minds chockablock with conclusions” and “can be recognized by the immediate interest they are willing to take in you.” ( )

Irreverent and amusing compendium of manners by the inimitable Donleavy, here in a mood more sarcastic than usual. ( )