Arthur Martine

Arthur Martine is chiefly remembered as the author of Martine's Hand-book of Etiquette, and Guide to True Politeness, a widely reprinted manual of social conduct from the 19th century. The book offers advice on everyday behavior, conversation, dress, dinner parties, and formal occasions, and it has remained in circulation long after its first publication.

Reliable biographical details about the person behind the name are scarce. Based on the sources available, it is safest to say that Arthur Martine is known primarily through this etiquette handbook rather than through a well-documented personal life.

That mystery adds a certain charm: the work endures because of its clear, practical tone and its window into the social customs of its era. For modern listeners, Martine's writing is interesting both as a manners manual and as a snapshot of how people once hoped to present themselves in polite society.