How to Behave: A Pocket Manual of Republican Etiquette, and Guide to Correct

Wells, Samuel R. (Samuel Roberts), 1820-1875Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.6

Word count: 305K words
Chapters: 31

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.How to Behave: A Pocket Manual of Republican Etiquette, and Guide to CorrectAuthor: Wells, Samuel R. (Samuel Roberts), 1820-1875,Language: English, Class: BJ: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Ethics, Social usages, Etiquette, Religion, Release Date: Sep 12, 2008

Editor's review

This small etiquette manual by Samuel R. Wells is an intriguing sample of nineteenth-century American ideas of "republican etiquette." In pocket-book form it compresses everyday conduct, social responses, and proper public behavior into entries for ready reference, discussing the details of dealing with others while faintly revealing a civic ethic centered on equality and self-restraint. For today's readers its value lies not in copying its specific rules but in using them to observe how an era understood the relationship between "politeness" and "republicanism": etiquette was not merely a class ornament but was also seen as a way to maintain public order and the dignity of others. Many entries bear clear marks of their time, and reading them brings both a sense of distance and reflections on present-day social norms. It suits as supplementary reading for cultural history, the history of etiquette, or nineteenth-century American social life, and for readers who enjoy slowly reading old-fashioned English and sensing the spirit of an era in details. As the original is a public-domain English ebook, reading with annotations or background materials is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century American social customs and the history of etiquette
Humanities students studying "republican etiquette" or civic cultivation
Readers who enjoy old public-domain English books and slow, detail-oriented reading
Culture enthusiasts seeking to understand the evolution of modern social norms

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a practical etiquette guide directly applicable to contemporary social situations
Beginners with weak English reading skills who need a Chinese translation
Academic readers expecting systematic theoretical discussion rather than an entry-based manual

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and preface first to grasp the book's organizational logic, then select chapters on everyday conduct for close reading.
While reading, note entries that differ markedly from contemporary etiquette as comparative material for observing change over time.
Extend reading with nineteenth-century American social history or the tradition of etiquette manuals, avoiding isolated interpretation of single rules.
The English entries are short, suitable for reading a few each day with brief notes; there is no need to finish at one sitting.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

This is an English public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg; the original is in English, with no accompanying Chinese translation. Chinese readers need some English reading ability or should read with a dictionary and background materials.

Are the etiquette rules in the book still applicable today?

Many specific rules bear the imprint of nineteenth-century American society and should not be directly transplanted to contemporary situations. Their main value is in helping readers understand how people of the time conceived the relationship between politeness, self-restraint, and public order, rather than in providing ready-made codes of conduct.

What does "republican etiquette" mean?

Judging from the title and historical context, it refers to ideas of etiquette linked to republican institutions and the notion of civic equality, emphasizing that proper conduct is not merely an ornament of the upper classes but concerns respect for others in public life. Specific discussion should follow the book's entries and not be overextended.

Is it suitable for reading straight through?

As an entry-based pocket manual, it is better suited to reading by topic or a few entries a day. Reading straight through is possible, but the density of entries can blur the focus; reading with notes and background materials, comparing contemporary social habits as you go, is recommended.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Wells, Samuel R. (Samuel Roberts), 1820-1875 Author

Samuel R. Wells (1820–1875) was a nineteenth-century American writer whose biographical details are limited in publicly available sources, and whose birth and death years and nationality are not clearly specified in the library records. Two works are held here, on quite different subjects, showing the breadth of his interests. One is How to Behave: A Pocket Manual of Republican Etiquette, and Guide to Correct, a pocket guide to etiquette and proper conduct in everyday social life, practical in tone and marked by the admonitory spirit of its time. The other, The Salem Witchcraft, the Planchette Mystery, and Modern Spiritualism, turns to history and the supernatural, discussing the Salem witch trials, the planchette puzzle and modern spiritualism, reflecting nineteenth-century American fascination with the border between the occult and science. One book concerns practical norms, the other curious inquiry; both are plainly and directly written for general readers and may be seen as typical examples of popular reading of the period.