Taking up where Emily Post and Miss Manners left off, Diane Mapes counsels the dating-distressed on todays new rules of courtship. This smart, savvy etiquette guide addresses both nuts-and-bolts questions (Who asks? Who pays? Who makes the first call? Who brings out the condoms?) as well as the more puzzling aspects of modern romance (Do I really need to tell my new girlfriend that I had her investigated?). Advice, behavioral examples, and dating horror stories are gleaned from a number of sources, including singles, psychologists, scholars, authors, etiquette experts, relationship coaches, and the most well-mannered people on earth, Southern women and gay men. From how to avoid dating a serial killer to what to do at a snuggle part, How to Date provides single men and women, gay and straight, with a step-by-step road map for navigating todays romantic quicksand with humor, grace, and aplomb.