Peas & Queues

How do you get rid of unwanted guests? What do you do if there’s a racket in the quiet carriage? How should you eat peas, and behave in queues? How to behave, like how to punctuate, is an aspect of life that many are no longer taught – and getting it wrong is the stuff of comedy at best and humiliation at worst. Thankfully, Sandi Toksvig has come to the rescue with her entertaining guide to modern manners, with tips on what to do whether you’re talking to a bore, or forgot their name in the first place. (Just call them ‘darling’.)

The award-winning Radio 4 broadcaster and writer offers guidance on the social pitfalls of every phase of life, from christenings to condolence letters – and has uncovered fascinating details about how our manners have changed across time, from the earliest étiquettes (little cards to remind courtiers how to behave) to the changing nature of spoons. With characteristic wit and perceptiveness, and revealing the trickiest of her encounters along the way, she highlights decency rather than convention and provides an essential guide to twenty-first century behaviour.