For centuries, men have been growing and styling their facial hair, whether for the sake of vanity, religion, or cultural considerations, but most of us don't give it a second thought. The Bearded Gentleman is an authoritative yet lighthearted guide that offers detailed information on some fifty specific facial hair styles: where they come from, how to grow them, and how to maintain them.

Among them are many well-known styles, such as the Handlebar, the Fu Manchu, the Goatee, the Van Dyck, and the more recent Soul Patch. But there are also those that are less familiar, including the Horseshoe, the Lampshade, the Painter's Brush, the Landing Strip, the French Fork, and El Insecto (a.k.a. The Mighty). There's also practical advice on choosing a facial hair style that's right for you, as well as insight into how facial hair has figured in the history of masculinity, including its impact on politics, class, and sexuality.

The Bearded Gentleman is an entertaining, witty, and useful guide to facial hair styles and the men who wear them.

Allan Peterkin is the author of One Thousand Beards and One Thousand Mustaches, and the co-author of The Bearded Gentleman. His other books include The Bald-Headed Hermit and the Artichoke and Outbursts!. His comments on facial hair have appeared in Esquire, Men's Health, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, US, and in the documentary Mansome. He is a doctor and freelance writer in Toronto.

Allan Peterkin's profile page

Nick Burns is one of the leading writers on men's grooming. As a journalist, he has covered skin care, fashion, and health for leading magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, GQ, Details, Elle Accessories, Out, and Zink, and he pens the popular men's style blog, HommeGrooming.com. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Nick Burns' profile page

Facial hair is totally BACK! But anyone attempting to navigate this treacherous and codified world without consulting Nick Burns and Allan Peterkin is destined for gruesome public humiliation.
-Simon Doonan, author of Eccentric Glamour

Simon Doonan

A must for every man with a beard or the man planning to grow one!
-Phil Olsen, Beard Team USA

Phil Olsen, Beard Team USA

Authors Allan Peterkin and Nick Burns offer up a wealth of interesting beard information while maintaining a light-hearted approach.
-North Shore News

North Shore News

This new book on beards helps men navigate the treacherous waters between laughingstock and Jake Gyllenhaal.... [the book] suggests age-appropriate styles, advising, 'Never apologize, never explain.'
-New York Times

New York Times

Allan Peterkin and Nick Burns have come to the rescue of men everywhere! At once funny and incredibly informative, The Bearded Gentleman waxes poetic about facial hair and saves the modern man from overgrown embarrassment. From tips on eyebrows to laser hair removal and the perfect shaving kit, the authors leave no stone unturned. Here is a book that should be issued to every man in America.
-Casey Gillespie, Editor in Chief, ZINK Magazine

Casey Gillespie, ZINK

From The Chevron to the French Fork, the Garibaldi and the Hulihee, everything any guy needs to know about flaring up his facial follicles can be found in the latest paperback from grooming journalist Nick Burns and beard historian Allan Peterkin, The Bearded Gentleman: The Style Guide to Shaving Face.
- Pink Magazine

Pink Magazine

From the basic (avoiding ingrowns) to the very specific (achieving the ultimate Klingon), this definitive manual offers advice and instructions for dozens of looks. Our suggestion? Leave the Fu Manchu to the amateurs and use this book to coin your own signature style.
-Out

Out

If knowledge is power, The Bearded Gentleman will put any pogonophobic to rest. Authors Allan Peterkin and Nick Burns have poured untold amounts of hours into detailing the history and future of facial hair, along with witty (but entirely practical) advice.
-Nylon Magazine

Nylon