The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival & Manners: A Complete Manual of Survival and Manners Paperback – 25 Nov. 1976

BrilliantLook at the recent New York Times review for a full description£3 for hours of amusementBargain.

Great compilation. Some memorable sections but not Donleavy's best. Top value copy so worth purchasing.

Don't read in public, unless you want to be stared at for laughing uncontrollably! At the Duel is one of my favourites, but the whole book is just brilliant.

Prompt delivery. Acceptable condition. Great price. Couldn't ask for more.

A satirical masterpiece. Anyone who doesn't laugh out loud whilst reading this book is a humourless bore.The author aims his satire on two targets. One is the etiquette books that prescribe how to conduct oneself in the company of the British upper class. The other is the books that aim to teach basic manners to American businessmen in the hope that they might do more business by dint of talking to people without offending them. The author's satire successfully pounds both targets.The book is laid out in the manner of the books it seeks to mock. There are sections on different general topics. The mock advice is set out one social situation at-a-time. The hilarious "advice" is set out just as in etiquette books. The social situations on which "advice" is offered are somewhat different to those found in an etiquette book.There are several styles of humour in the book, leading to something for everyone. Styles of humour deployed include, but are not limited to: ribaldry; sarcasm; farce; sardonic; hyperbole and deadpan. The author makes frequent use of the dry wit, delivered deadpan, that is popular in Ireland and Scotland. As a result, those readers not used to that style of humour may need to watch out for it. Some readers may interpret the deadpan humour as a straight remark and so not see the joke.The book is suitable to people who like satire and who enjoy a good laugh. As some of the advice is bawdy, the book is not suitable for those offended by such humour. The assault on well-established norms of proper conduct will not be pleasing to those whose conduct is being lampooned.The book appears to arise from the Author's background and upbringing. Born in the United States to first generation Irish immigrants, the author did what many second generation immigrants do and returned to the "old country". He studied in Dublin and settled in Ireland to write his books and plays. Exposure to both the British upper class and the American business class has influenced the author's approach to the book.This reviewer bought the book shortly after it was published. At the time, the book was banned by Irish Government. Consequently, buying the book in Scotland to take to Ireland to read in defiance of the censor added to the enjoyment of reading the book. The clerics were behind the censorship, as the sometimes bawdy humour was not what the clerics wanted in Ireland. Clerical influence in Ireland has waned and the author's books are now available to read. How times have changed in Ireland. The book is still a good laugh: it has stood the passage of time. Much like good manners, bad manners are timeless.

First published in the mid-seventies, this is both of its time and timeless. A sardonic view of the English class system by a Dublin-educated American, it takes the tone of the self-help manuals beloved of the first half of the 20th century and has vicious fun with the earnest instruction dispensed therein. Advising the reader on how to deal with such situations as public flatulence, "Inducing Folk to Eat Cheap When You Have Invited Them to Dine" and "Being Excluded From Who's Who", it's the natural predecessor to, for instance, Guy Browning's erstwhile "How To.." column, collected in the book "Never Hit A Jellyfish With A Spade". If you liked that, you might find this to your taste.