The Man's Book: The Essential Guide for the Modern Man [Hardcover]

The Man's Book: The Essential Guide for the Modern Man
The Man's Book is a compendium of information that is obscure but highly useful, intermixed with information that is so arcane as to be useless but is nevertheless amusing. Often, they are even the same pieces of information. Eleven sections cover everything from outdoor survival to text message theory to choosing a best man. The chapter on Sports and Games includes both a table showing the optimal loading of weight plates for a barbell, and the rules for playing Beer Pong. The chapter on Dress includes the expected instructions for different methods of tying a necktie, bow tie, or cravat, as well as the proper relationship between the number of dress shirts and trousers that you should own (number of shirts squared equals number of trousers cubed) and how many to pack for a trip. It also instructs you in how to wear your dress shirts when not also wearing a tie; "One open button is safe; two suggests insouciance; three smacks of an Italian playboy." As for how to wear a top hat (included under Clothes for Weddings), The Man's Book cautions us that, "Squat crowns [make] you look, if you are not careful, like a doorman at a provincial hotel in Holland." Perish the thought.

The Man's Book includes an entire section on Women, beginning with Chivalry, proceeding through Marriage, and ending with Saying Goodbye (not breaking it off, but rather a dictionary or proper closings for correspondence). Yet there is no mention of children or fatherhood. This book does contain many facts that can help a man out in a pinch ("One of the easiest ways of starting a fire is by a magnifying glass. A well-suited specimen is conveniently included with the compact edition of the Oxford English Dictionary....If the OED is not at hand, a simple and effective lens can be constructed from water and Saran wrap."). But for equally useful fatherhood advice, e.g., how to construct an emergency diaper, dads will have to look elsewhere instead.

This is an essential guide for any man including a random collection of charts, lists, and detailed instructions on what makes a man a man! From how to choose the correct urinal in a public restroom to essential drinking games you should know how to play to how to properly master the art of tying a bowtie, this book is a perfect gift for any male graduate, groom, groomsmen, brother, best friend, and would be a perfect gift for Father's Day!! Kudos, Thomas Fink!

Thomas Fink's The Man's Book is indeed an essential guide for any modern man. Split into broad subject topics, Fink informs men on everything they should know about health, sports/games, women, dress, outdoors, drinking, smoking, cooking, idling, and arts and sciences. Among the numerous topics, a man will learn the benefits of a wet shave versus a dry shave, how to cook a steak, the right wine to serve for any occasion, what suit to wear and when to wear it, what to stock in a kitchen, the equation for the perfect age of a potential bride, how to make a potato gun, and everything one needs to know about the man-of-men James Bond. If you would like to know Morse Code, it is in there. Curious about a few of the best cocktails? You will find them in The Man's Book. Need to make an origami wallet? Fink shows you how. And if you are having a hard time becoming a modern media man, you can follow the guidelines of the essential books and movies for any male.

There is a lot of humor found in The Man's Book. Fink doesn't approach the topic of manliness and masculinity without a few jokes. I got a good laugh out of the urinal position chart. And the picture guide of beard styles? I laughed out loud, I'll admit. You need to be able to see the humor in being a man or dealing with men to thoroughly enjoy The Man's Book. You will learn everything you want and need to know about quite a few things, so you will miss out if you take life too seriously and put down the book.

It is true that I am not a male and therefore don't need a guide to become the perfect modern male. But let's be honest here... most men are never going to learn all of these things for themselves and will thus never know what a man should know. Right? It is just as essential for a woman to know this information as it is for any man because she can-- and most likely will-- help guide him in the right direction. She can make sure he has the right suits, the right tools of hygiene, and the right liquors in the cabinets.

Some of the information is even gender neutral. For example, women love beer and sports and chili, too! Even women need to know about wines and men's clothing and essential spices. It's not like this sort of stuff is born into women. We need a guide for these things as much as a man. As I read The Man's Book, I learned a lot that I can and will use in the future. I knew nothing about wine until now, for example. And I learned all of this with a laugh. The Man's Book is clear and to the point, but not a dry read. I think that The Man's Book is a great reference for anyone to have on their shelf. I am keeping my copy on an easy to reach shelf just in case my boyfriend needs to know what to wear or I need to know which wine to serve with my meal.