The Decline of the Gentleman

The premise of this book is that the first World War derailed the venerable tradition of the gentleman and that the second World War was its death blow. How banal if the author was a beleaguered type, complaining loudly that he was the last of his kind. How fun, as is the case here, if the author freely admits to being a highly accomplished cad. His inspiration for the book was that if he, a scoundrel, can prosper in society, it means the English gentleman truly is dead. Very fun. The London Telegraph put it best, "However little else Mr. Raven may have in common with the angels, he certainly writes like one."