If you ever worry about how to set your own table properly, or which fork to use at someone else’s table, here’s a handy new source of advice.

“Elements of the Table,” by Lynn Rosen (Clarkson Potter, 2007), is subtitled “A Simple Guide for Hosts and Guests” and its crisp simplicity may indeed help you navigate this complicated social area.

The book’s chapters deal with napkin niceties and the glamour of Champagne and other wine glasses, as well as decoding the multiple forms of knives, forks and spoons. Sizes and styles of bowls, plates and all manner of dishes are explained, too, with photos to help.

Under the heading of Top Ten Etiquette Errors:

¢ Drop your fork on the floor? Don’t grab for it – signal to a server and ask for a replacement.

¢ Never pick up a chicken leg with your fingers at a formal dinner, though you may get away with using your fingers, delicately, for an asparagus stalk.

¢ And please don’t blow on hot food. Wait until it cools a little.