First published 2013
Graydon Carter examines Vanity Fair magazine's century-long journey through American culture and society. He traces the publication from its 1913 launch through the Jazz Age and Great Depression, then follows its 1983 revival during the Reagan era into the digital age. Carter explores how the magazine captured each decade's personalities and power structures through bold photography and sharp writing. He profiles key figures like founding editor Frank Crowninshield, who shaped the magazine's early identity during the 1920s cultural explosion. The book reveals how Vanity Fair documented both high culture and popular entertainment, covering everything from literary figures to Hollywood stars. Carter details the magazine's controversial comeback in the 1980s and the creation of its famous Oscar party. Through decade-by-decade analysis, he shows how Vanity Fair's photographers, artists, and writers chronicled the modern era as it happened. The book offers readers an inside look at how one magazine both reflected and influenced American taste for one hundred years.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, american, 21st-century, journalism, art-history, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-non-fiction
Setting: America
Period: 1913, 1920s, 1980s
456 pages · Kindle Edition · Abrams Books