Manners from Heaven, Signed by Quentin Crisp
[Signed by Quentin Crisp] Crisp, Quentin. Manners from Heaven, A Divine Guide to Good Behavior. First American Edition. 1984. Book and dust jacket are both in very good condition. Book is signed on the title page, “Quentin Crisp, 15th September ’89.”
How fascinating that the outré Quentin Crisp wrote a book on manners that, in its own way, is as sensible and pragmatic as Emily Post’s. It also more fun, not to mention infinitely more readable. There are as many aphorisms—worthy of Oscar Wilde—as there are pages in the book. As Crisp explains, in youth he developed a disingenuous sincerity to compensate for his (then) unacceptable androgynous sexual persona. He posits that a certain amount of artificiality is always required to get along in society, but in his case, a great deal. By not taking himself seriously, he insured that those who might otherwise be offended by him were not, a lesson applicable to us all.
“If you feel that you cannot comply with the morality of the world you must do everything else you can to be agreeable.”
--Quentin Crisp