How to be an Alien is a humorous book by George Mikes, illustrated by Nicolas Bentley and published in 1946.

[2] It pokes gentle fun at the English and their relationship with foreigners, "alien" meaning in this context any non-English person.

The first part, "How to be a General Alien", deals with such important English topics as the weather, tea, how not to be clever (since it is considered bad manners), how to compromise, and queueing (according to Mikes, the national passion).

Continental people have sex lives: the English have hot water bottles.The second part, "How to be a Particular Alien", describes particular occupations from Bloomsbury intellectual to bus driver, finishing with how to be a naturalised citizen, which includes the eating of porridge for breakfast, and alleging that you like it.

A television programme based on the book, How to Be an Alien, was broadcast in 1964, featuring Frank Muir and Denis Norden, with the voices of Ronnie Barker and June Whitfield.