The Etiquette of Engagement and Marriage Describing Modern Manners and Customs of Courtship and Marriage, and giving Full Details regarding the Wedding Ceremony and Arrangements

by G.R.M. Devereux

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

121 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 27, 2010

Reviews

[Grace Hendrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gets three stars mainly because it is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. First published in 1903, "The Etiquette of Engagement and Marriage" is an extensive (and I do mean EXTENSIVE) guide to how you should go about getting engaged and married. The book does give a rather interesting picture of what was considered the "modern" way of courting and wooing. That's also where a lot of the humor comes in. So, overall, not the most shining example of prose, but a fun look at relationship advice over the years.

[Matthew Morgal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this little piece while browsing wedding-planning tips on my Kindle. The book fancies itself a modern-day guide for the bride and groom (with a slight preference directed at the former) written by someone who grew up writing with the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen. Consider this a wedding planner designed like a 200-Level English Literature survey-style college course.

Tips are given throughout every phase of the engagement, from the proposal to after-wedding advice. A few sections also cover weddings in other countries which, although interesting, tend to slow down the narrative. Including the international tips in a separate appendix at the end of the book would have worked much better.

Although written with a British audience in mind, a good amount of the material applies equally well to American audiences. Unfortunately, if you won't touch Pride and Prejudice with a 10-foot pole you may find the flowery wording too difficult to follow. The writer clearly holds some knowledge about the marriage process, and this knowledge is dispensed with thought-provoking quotes certain to cause debate in book clubs everywhere.

For the low cost of $0 it was a nice quick read (just over 100 pages), but I wouldn't recommend shelling out shillings for it.

[Jen Grogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Etiquette and household manuals from the past are one of my weird obsessions. This one was okay, but not all that interesting.

[Christina Brummett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting from an historical point of view.

This was a much more liberal treatment of marriage than I expected. While the racism of the time is prevalent in the later chapters, most of the advice would still be sound today.