Every encounter begins with a greeting. Be it a quick ‘Hello!’ or the somewhat longer and gracious ‘Sula manchwanta galunga omugobe!’ shaking hands or shaking, well, rather more private parts of our anatomy, we have been doing it many times daily for thousands of years. It should be the most straightforward thing in the world, but this apparently simple act is fraught with complications, leading to awkward misunderstandings and occasionally even outright violence.

In the illuminating and entertaining One Kiss or Two? Andy Scott goes down the rabbit hole to take a closer look at what greetings are all about. In looking at how they have developed, he discovers a kaleidoscopic world of etiquette, body-language, evolution, neuroscience, anthropology and history. Through in-depth research and his personal experiences, and with the help of experts, Scott takes us on a captivating journey through a subject far richer than we might have expected.

'To kiss or not to kiss? This delightful book explores greeting etiquette across different cultures and provides a great deal of entertainment. I thoroughly recommend it' Jane Goodall

‘With meticulous research, acute insight, infectious curiosity and gentle humour... this book introduces us to ourselves’ Kate Fox, bestselling author of Watching the English

‘After reading this book, I feel liberated’ Literary Review

'Kissing hello is a social minefield... fortunately, Andy Scott may have some answers' The Times

'Scott s winning study combines scholarly rigour with a voice that is funny, warm and humane. I can t imagine a better guide to the intricate art of saying hello' Joe Moran, author of Queuing for Beginners

'From Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi s deathclamp handshake to the penis-offering Walbiri in the Australian outback, learn the perfect greeting globally' New Scientist, Best Book of the Year

'Diplomat Andy Scott speculates on the origins of the cheek-kissing tradition... and how to avoid a social faux pas no matter where you are' Conde Nast Traveler

'Fascinating... by the end of Scott s book, you see that if we stopped greeting, the world would come to an end' The Lady

'From the ubiquitous handshake to the, thankfully, less popular genital grab, Andy Scott's vade mecum of the social science and background to the world's many greetings is infallible reading for any member of civilised society' William Hanson, British etiquette coach and columnist

'Andy Scott has written an utterly charming and fascinating book. I will never be able to look at a handshake or a hug the same way again.' Joshua Foer, internationally bestselling author of Moonwalking with Einstein and co-founder of Atlas Obscura

'Who would have guessed that so much lies behind a greeting? As Scott demonstrates so ably, it's not just etiquette, but also history, evolution and brain function... popular science writing at its best' Chris Frith, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology, UCL

Andy Scott has greeted people in over 60 countries. He originally trained as a historian, gaining a PhD from Cambridge University and holding visiting fellowships at Yale University, before joining the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit in 2009, where he worked on a range of domestic and international projects. He has since served as a diplomat in Libya and Sudan, and acted as a consultant to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He is currently a Conflict and Stabilisation Adviser in the UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit. He lives in London, but still calls a small village in Suffolk home.