Cool can't be taught.

That's the received wisdom, yet this wry, entertaining compendium by Thomas W. Hodgkinson (author of the indispensable How to Sound Cultured) shows that, on the contrary, anyone can increase their cool quotient by learning from the masters and the methods of the past. It's never an easy journey.

But to set yourself on the path to true cool, you'll need this invaluable roadmap.