A Butler's Life

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