Nordstrom, which has been in the business of selling clothes to men for 56 years, may be better known for their customer service than any other department store. And it was this service that lead to their new book, the "Nordstrom Guide to Men's Style," written by menswear expert Tom Julian. However, unlike similar tomes by traditional men's magazines, this isn't a directive of commandments, but a pragmatic workbook of sorts. "Men always say, 'when it comes to cars or electronics, I'm in-the-know, but not with clothes,'" says Julian, who interviewed salespeople, tailors and customers at stores across the country. "So we built the book with bit of technical info, a touch of factoid and history with strong illustrations." Now that's certainly a philosophy we can agree with.

$20, at Nordstrom and Amazon.