A Butler's Life: Scenes from the Other Side of the Silver Salver (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780595165193)

Part memoir, part how-to, A Butler's Life -- the account of Christopher Allen's real-life duties Behind The Silver Salver-- offers a contemporary peek into this fascinating, yet demanding profession.

Those for whom the mental picture of a British butler is the impeccable Jeeves or Remains of the Day's prim Mr. Stevens will find Christopher Allen a surprise and a delight. The engaging Englishman, while no less a paragon of service than his literary peers, is charmingly human in his ongoing endeavor to master a profession whose most perfect representative is invisible.

And, for those whose homes might not be staffed with live-in servants but who would enjoy benefiting from their expertise, nearly two dozen sidebars reveal tips of the trade--everything from hints for seamless entertaining to advice on household management.

Far from a relic of a past era, Christopher Allen demonstrates that being a butler -- in villas on the Cote d'Azur and in California, on luxury yachts in England and estates in the Hamptons -- is still a very viable, rewarding way to make a living in the twenty-first century.

Author: Kimberly Burton Allen, Christopher Allen
ISBN-10: 0595165192
ISBN-13: 9780595165193
Publisher: iUniverse
Language: English
Published: 02/06/2001
Pages: 228
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 9.04h x 6.04w x 0.60d