About this Item
First Edition. A clean, tight copy throughout with minimal wear. No markings. ALL ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM THE UK WITHIN 48 HOURS ( BOOKS ORDERED OVER THE WEEKEND DISPATCHED ON MONDAY) ALL OVERSEAS ORDERS SENT BY TRACKABLE AIR MAIL. IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE ASK US FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE FOR MULTI VOLUME SETS BEFORE ORDERING. Seller Inventory # mon0000572239
Bibliographic Details
Title: You're Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Very good
Edition: 1st Edition
About this title
Over the years, people have offered many different definitions of and opinions on flattery, and flattery itself has changed "from flattery as a technique for persuading a whole class of people to flattery as a technique for influencing a single person." Is it venal? Is it a victimless crime? Is it a diluted form of praise? Is it merely, as Lord Chesterfield suggested, "a complaisant indulgence for people's weaknesses"? Or is it just lying? In his book You're Too Kind, Richard Stengel ponders the meaning of flattery and charts a droll and whimsical history, starting with the Egyptians ("Laugh after he laughs, and it will be very pleasing to his heart," recommends Vizier Ptahhotep), and concluding with handy hints on how to flatter without getting caught: "Never be candid when a person asks you to be candid." In between, he asks questions such as "What is circumcision, really, but a kind of divinely enforced flattery?" in an irreverent discourse around the covenant with the Israelites, and looks at everyone from troubadours to Dale Carnegie, Puritans to Hollywood D-girls.
The dust jacket sports plaudits by impresario of flattery Jay Leno and spinmeister George Stephanopoulos, who vouch that You're Too Kind is indeed a diverting book for the reader--like yourself--with taste, discretion, and, ahem, humor. --J. Riches
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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