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In today’s fast-paced world, Private Service Professionals are expected to be experts in a multitude of areas, from etiquette and event planning to household management and personal shopping. With so many responsibilities on their plates, it’s no wonder that even the most seasoned professionals can occasionally find themselves stumped by a question or problem they haven’t encountered before. That’s where having a well-stocked reference library comes in handy.

For your perusing pleasure, we’ve collected an assortment of books that we find useful or that others have recommended.  This list started out with my own library and grew after our conversation with Latricia Friend on ClubHouse.  Then it expanded once again when I started searching for topics I feel are applicable to our industry.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not read all of the books on this list.  Make sure to do your research and read the reviews to ensure that they will answer your questions.  The books framed in gold are the ones on my shelf.

Send an email to [email protected] if you have a title you think we should add!

 **Occasionally, the Amazon images don’t load properly and show as broken links, this issue typically resolves itself if you refresh the page.  But just in case, we’ve included the names below the books so you can search for them.

Soft Skills | Leadership | Administration


Bonnie Low-Kramen - Staff Matters

Kimberly Burton Allen & Christopher Allen - A Butler’s Life

Esther Jacob - The Power Of A Forward-Thinking Mindset

Scott Rouse - Understanding Body Language

Jay Sullivan - Simply Said

Henry Cloud, John Townsend - Boundaries

Gill Hasson - How to Deal With Difficult People
Ryan Holiday - Ego Is the Enemy

Jeffrey Robinson - THE HOTEL

Monica Worline, Jane E. Dutton, Raj Sisodia - Awakening Compassion at Work

Lee Cockerell - Creating Magic
Don Gabor - Speaking Your Mind in 101 Difficult Situations

Joe Navarro - The Dictionary of Body Language

Beverly D. Flaxington - Understanding Other People

Diane Arthur - Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees

David Gonzalez - The Insiders Guide to Household Staffing, 2nd ed.

Danny Meyer - Setting the Table

Bigrocks Thinking - Critical thinking, Logic & Problem Solving

Simon Wootton, Terry Horne - Strategic Thinking

Steven Varnell - Behavior Analysis and Interviewing Techniques (BAIT)

Hard Skills | Service Delivery | Reference


Cheryl Mendelson - Home Comforts

Steven Ferry - Butlers & Household Managers - 21st Century Professionals

The Joy of Cooking

Tad Gage - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cigars, 2nd Edition

Margaret Visser - The Rituals of Dinner

Cheryl Mendelson - Laundry

Robert Roberts - The House Servants Directory

Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher - The Art of Eating

Jaclyn Stuart, Jeanette Hurt - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine and Food Pairing

Carl David, Richard J. Boyle - Collecting and Care of Fine Art

Charles MacPherson - The Butler Speaks

Stanley Ager, Fiona St. Aubyn - The Butler's Guide

Karen MacNeil - The Wine Bible

Jaclyn Stuart, Jeanette Hurt - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine and Food Pairing

Mittie Hellmich - The Ultimate Bar Book

Emily Post's Etiquette

Robert Hickey, Pamela Eyring - Honor & Respect

Karen MacNeil - The Wine Bible

Jaclyn Stuart, Jeanette Hurt - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine and Food Pairing

Old Farmer's Almanac - The 2023 Old Farmer's Almanac

James E. Brumbaugh - Audel HVAC Fundamentals, Volume 1

Kent Lester, Dave McGuerty - The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home

James E. Brumbaugh - Audel HVAC Fundamentals, Volume 3

David Squire - Houseplant Handbook

Home Improvement - Ultimate Guide: Plumbing, Updated 5th Edition

Teri Dunn Chace, National Gardening Association, Philip Giroux, Bob Beckstrom, Lance Walheim - Landscaping For Dummies

Charles Byers - Ultimate Guide Wiring, Updated 9th Edition (Ultimate Guides)

Tiffany Weber - The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: 3 books in 1

Books for which we could not get preview links.

If you’ve ever wondered where we get all of our insightful and useful information on our blog? Well, we have a secret weapon: our Thursday evening ClubHouse conversations!

Every Thursday evening, we join Latricia Friend on ClubHouse to discuss a variety of topics related to our industry. We invite experts, thought leaders, and other professionals to join us and share their insights, experiences, and knowledge.

Our ClubHouse sessions are always lively, engaging, and informative. We discuss everything from the latest trends and developments to the best practices and strategies for success. We also take questions from our followers and listeners, giving everyone a chance to participate and learn.