Elements of the Table: A Simple Guide for Hosts and Guests

In her introduction to this slim dining etiquette reference, author Rosen (The Dinner Table) sets the tone: ""It is one thing to possess elegant tableware, it is quite another to know how to put it to proper use."" While she certainly covers basics like setting places and wrangling utensils, it's her passion for trivia that sets the book apart. Readers will learn that that the tradition of giving a gift spoon to an infant originated in the Middle Ages, that Cardinal Richelieu introduced the concept of the butter knife in 17th Century France (he found sharp knives to be threatening), and that the wife of President Grover Cleveland found it necessary to melt down Dolly Madison's silver to have it molded into a new design. Rounded out with a list of common dining mistakes and step-by-step instructions for a handful of different napkin folds, Rosen's primer on entertaining and dining with decorum is a welcome reference.