I was given the assignment to find five non-fiction books I like that put forward information well, and here's the list (in random order). I steered away from etiquette books and focused on books I return to often, and recent discoveries:
• Haunts of the Black Masseur: the Swimmer as Hero, by Charles Sprawson: Fascinating examination of the importance of swimming and water at different points in civilization: Classical Revival, ancient Greece and Rome, 1930s America, Victorian England, the Japan of the samurai and of Yukio Mishima, etc. etc. The author also visits many of the bathing places referenced and swims there himself, including the Hellespont.
• Misia: A Life of Misia Sert, but Charles Fizdale and Arthur Gold: I knew I'd love this book the day I read a review of it in Smithsonian in 1981. I still have the copy I bought in a used bookstore in 1984.
• Tales my Father Taught Me, by Sir Osbert Sitwell: Eccentric and interesting tales from a very eccentric family, woven together with love and humor.
• Blessed Are the Debonair, by Margaret Case Harriman: This is the story of the author's father, Frank Case, who basically created the Algonquin Hotel as the THE theatrical hotel of the first half of the 20th century (when people still lived in hotels).
• Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and his Black and White Ball, by Deborah Davis: Just found this less than a year ago, and the author tells the story well of not only how Truman put the party and its monumental guest list together, but also how the bon ton was served by designers, stylists, and publicists. Again, fascinating.
Etiquetteer
Encouraging Perfect Propriety in an Imperfect World since 2001