Communication

In her latest resourceful etiquette manual, Martin, aka Miss Manners, brings shrewd insights and an amazing awareness of contingencies to her coverage of traditional terrain-the dos and don'ts of personal and business letters, telephone calls, get-well messages, rejection letters, condolences, invitations, Christmas cards, adoption and birth announcements. Recognizing that it has always been rude to press unwelcome intimacy, to misrepresent oneself, to bore people, to monopolize others' time, she extrapolates these principles to office e-mail, answering machines, conference calls via speakerphone, fax machines, beepers, cyberspace, computer bulletin boards. She has her pet peeves-printed greeting cards and ""cute"" writing papers-as well as her taboos (never fax a thank-you note to a human resources manager after a job interview). Readers will find a wealth of good advice delivered with wit, class and civility. (Jan.)