'Lundmark's unique little book effervesces with intriguing facts and factlets about greeting customs in different cultures around the world, from the Eskimo shoulder strike to the New Zealand 'hongi' (nose-touching). It's guaranteed to entertain and inform - globetrotters and armchair travellers alike.' Pam Peters, Macquarie University, Sydney '... wry, elegant little tome ... turning trivia into something more.' The Australian

Torbjorn Lundmark (known as TL) was born in Sweden and has called Australia home since 1978. He works as a professional writer, illustrator and cartoonist, and is the author of several books, including Quirky Qwerty: The Story of the Keyboard at Your Fingertips.

Acknowledgements; To the reader; Introduction; Gestures and signals: take a bow: bending at the neck or waist; Hi, Hitler! Arm salutes at various angles; Do a nose job: rubbing and sniffing as a greeting; XXXX! The heartfelt kiss; Flashy hello: the eyebrow flash; Getting the shakes: the story of the handshake; Slaps, daps, thumps and bumps: not so gripping handshakes; I dips me lid: the hat as a courtesy tool; Hello? Hell, no! Greeting refusals; Waves of emotion: greeting from a distance; Customs and behaviours: no hug for Dr Livingstone: a demonstration of restraint; It hurts to say goodbye: the Parthian shot; How stiff can your upper lip get? Avoiding strangers; Chinese whispers: greeting and parting rituals in China; From Russia with love: sit on your case and say goodbye; Cut it out! How to avoid saying 'hello'; I don't speak to my mother-in-law: avoidance language; Phonethics: telephone mannerisms; Thanks for having me on! Names and forms of address in the media; Eskimodesty: greeting and visiting in the Arctic; Names and addresses: what's so good about it? The curious nature of 'good-' greetings; Ahoy, ahoy! Pick up the phone! 'Hello' and its uses; The unlucky Mr Szcz ciarz: foreign names in foreign places; Wang is King in China: too many people; not enough names; Finding Bjork: Icelandic names; Yoo-hoo! Who? You! How Swedes don't address each other; Mister Doctor: titles of medicos, surgeons and barbers; I forget my name: loss of first name by marriage; When your coz is your sis: kinship terms; You, thou and other politenesses: familiar and polite 'you'; Include me out! Dual, trial and other grammatical curiosities; For me to know and you to find out: naming and name taboos; Bye-bye! How things have changed; Postscript; Notes; Sources; Index.