True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World

From the author of The Official Preppy Handbook comes a new take on the old world that Lisa Birnbach turned into an international best-selling phenomenon thirty years ago.

True Prep looks at how the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping, GandT-soaked preppies adapts to the new order of the Internet, cell phones, rehab, political correctness, reality TV and... polar fleece.

A small sample:

• Wardrobe: Recent prep brands we are forced to recognize. How to tell Casual Friday from, say, Saturday.

• Money: We never talk about it.

• Food: Does the Food Network mean we’re going to have to cook? Bake? Now you’re going too far.

• Scandals: Poor Mrs. Astor. When Mummy’s plastic surgery goes terribly wrong. Rehab and the slammer: the new prep schools.

• We’re outta here: When to name something after yourself, and when not. The right obituary. What to do with your dogs if you predecease them.

• NO TEXTING AT THE TABLE, PLEASE.

True Prep promises to be a whole new old sensation.

"Thirty years after The Official Preppy Handbook was published comes this new how-to, updated to incorporate such 21st-century givens as gay marriage, dad's new wife, and rehab, all while underscoring the importance of tradition, which ought to be as reliable as those monogrammed L.L. Bean canvas totes. From what to keep in the pantry (box of raisins, food dye for Easter eggs, etc.) to how to not talk about money, the terse advice and blue-blood humor throughout make this a good stocking stuffer for all those 20-somethings who may have no idea what they've inherited with their Sperry top-siders. And tried-and-true Izod fans, who were around the first time, will appreciate the novelty that much more. Especially worthwhile are Edmund White's contribution on 'Where do gay preppies go,' a 'real' prep's response to Gossip Girl, the spot-on Edith Wharton quotes throughout, and the drawings of Randy Glass. Illus.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved." Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

"This book touches many bases. And it's funny without exactly being satirical. The authors take their mission sort of seriously and approach the prep ethos with obvious affection." New York Times

Wake up, Muffy. We're back.

From Lisa Birnbach, the author of The Official Preppy Handbook — and designer Chip Kidd — comes a whole new take on the prep world that Birnbach turned into an international best-selling phenomenon thirty years ago.

True Prep is a contemporary look at how the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping, G&T-soaked preppies adapt to the new order of things. Birnbach considers the prep attitude towards money (ambivalent), schools (good investment), wardrobe (now your clothes fit), work (some careers will never be prep), decorating (ask mummy), scandal (including rehab and prison), and food and drink (with some classic recipes for both). She also looks at weekends (and what to do to get asked back), entertaining, sports (including sailing and shopping), weddings, etiquette, the Internet and electronic gadgetry, political correctness, reality TV, and... polar fleece. And last but not least: a do-it-yourself eulogy.

With more than 200 original illustrations and photographs, True Prep promises to be a whole new, old sensation.

From the author of "The Official Preppy Handbook." Birnbach looks at how the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping preppies adapts to the new order of the Internet, cell phones, rehab, political correctness, reality TV, and polar fleece.

TV commentator Lisa Birnbach, author of The Official Preppy Handbook and Lisa Birnbach's College Books, is a contributing editor for Parade and the mother of (at least) three children.

Chip Kidd was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1964. He is the author of The Cheese Monkeys and The Learners, and lives in New York City and Stonington, Connecticut.