Good Grape Wine Company

Drachenfels writes with a great style that makes the reading effortless. She writes a thorough history of tableware, and manners how they have developed through the ages. Sometimes the reasoning behind a specific manner can be very intriguing. While the book calls itself a complete guide to table setting, manners, and tableware, I feel its main focus is on the tableware and table setting. This is not the complete guide to manners.

The book is a fascinating read if you are interesting in dinning, and is very helpful for setting a table, and selection of tableware. The book is well written, easy to read, and has many illustrations for examples of what is being discussed. The Art of the Table is also very interesting from a historical perspective and how dinning has evolved in the West over the years.


All what you need to entertain like a Princess   October 24, 2001
 50 out of 50 found this review helpful

I loved this book as it contains tons of useful information. You don't need to read it all, if you wish, but, it's worth having it for reference.

The Art of the Table helped me in making my mind about the pieces of tableware I should buy considering my "entertaining" style and the courses I usually serve to my guests. She is not pretentious or snob and clearly advises you to buy the best quality of tableware you can afford and forget about buying silver, for example, if you simply don't have the budget.

I also love the detail. It's the first book of the many I own on table settings that tells me what are the differences between the three possible coffee cups you can buy (coffee, after-dinner coffee and demitasse). Not bad as I live in Italy and Italians are crazy about coffee!!

My advice: simply buy it.


Using the Right Fork for Breakfast at Tiffany's   July 4, 2001
 63 out of 63 found this review helpful

My best friend, who collects silver, recommended this book to me; the combination of THE ART OF THE TABLE and eBay is a dangerous, but pleasurable one.

I was afraid it would simply be an extremely high-ticket etiquette manual. While it explains what fork to use -- and I never knew there were so many kinds of forks! -- it also explains the history and craftsmanship behind flatware and dishes with a fascination I could well appreciate and a level of knowledge I had to respect.

The level of care and detail is intimidating. I rather doubt I'll ever entertain in diplomatic circles, which is kind of a shame because now I'd know what to do! For daily life, I'd say more care&feeding of tableware is definitely indicated, and I'd be glad of a maintenance section: what to do when things scratch, things break, etc. And I'm going to put my sterling in the dishwasher ANYHOW.

Reading this book is like looking at holiday catalogues: you understand why they used to be called wishbooks. I'm proud, however, that my friends say I set a lovely table (they're good guests, which is an art in itself), and I'm determined now NOT to keep the "good stuff" stored away because it's too good to use.

von Drachenfels has added to my quality of life, as well as my credit-card balance. I'd say I came out the winner.


For enthusiasts only   April 19, 2001
 48 out of 61 found this review helpful

I bought this book after reading a favorable review in the Christian Science Monitor, but was disappointed. There is lots of pretension here and a fair amount of information, but relatively little practical advice.

For example, I looked in vain for guidance as to what kind of dinnerware I should favor if I planned to wash it in the dishwasher, or what sorts might allow me to dispense with putting a layer of padding between each plate when I store it in the cupboard. The section on flatware begins with a chapter called "From Silver to Sterling"--hardly the relevant range in my opinion. If you look carefully, there is a page or two about stainless steel, but you get the distinct impression that this is not the book for those of us who allow base metals to touch our lips.

There are 16 pages of good-looking photographs in a separate section, but otherwise the illustrations consist of small drawings, and these are sparse. Who would have thought that you could write a chapter called "How to Lay Dinnerware" with no illustrations at all?

The book's layout is extravagant, but the prose style is weak. The individual sentences are clear, if not elegant, but they seldom marshall themselves into engaging paragraphs, and the paragraphs often seem distincly unrelated to their neighbors.

All in all, the book's author unquestionably knows more that you do about the subject matter, but she seems to have neither the skill nor any real interest in communicating this knowledge. It is a self-indulgent book.