Synopses & Reviews
Offering readers an inebriating swig from the great cocktail shaker of the Roaring Twentiesand#151;the Jazz Age, the age of Gatsbyand#151;
Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells showcases unforgettable writers in search of how to live well in a changing era.
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter introduces these fabulous pieces written between 1913 and 1936, when the magazine published a Murderersand#8217; Row of the worldand#8217;s leading literary lights, including:
- F. Scott Fitzgerald on what a magazine should be
- Clarence Darrow on equality
- e. e. cummings on Calvin Coolidge
- D. H. Lawrence on women
- Djuna Barnes on James Joyce
- John Maynard Keynes on the collapse in money value
- Dorothy Parker on a host of topics, from why she hates actresses to why she hasnand#8217;t married
Review
The New York Times and#8220;When Graydon Carter is in escapist mode, one of the places he goes to is New York in the 1920sand#8230;. Inand#160;Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells: The Best of Early Vanity Fair, Mr. Carter, the magazineand#8217;s current editor, introduces readers to his predecessor Frank Crowninshield, and the incredible cast of writers he assembled.and#8221;
The New Yorker
and#8220;Pieces [that] are at once of their moment and timeless.and#8221;
Associated Press
and#8220;This is a book as a box of chocolatesand#8230;.And the fun comes from the variety.and#8221;
Publishers Weekly (starred):
and#8220;This volume epitomizes the idea of modernity in American cultural life before the Second World War.and#8221;
Kirkus Reviews:
and#8220;A remarkable range to the piecesand#8230;.Whether read from cover to cover or dipped into occasionally, this collection serves as a fine primer to one magazine's contribution to a golden age of American magazine writing.and#8221;
Library Journal:
"Reading this compilation of writings published in Vanity Fair from the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s is like sampling a box of chocolates on Valentineand#8217;s Day: a delicious confection of satire, poetry, biographical sketches, humorous pieces, and thought-provoking commentary."
Booklist:
and#8220;These delightful period pieces reflecting the social mores of their time hold up in their innovation, style, and concern about modern life nearly a century later.and#8221;
and#160;
About the Author
Graydon Carter has been the editor of
Vanity Fair since 1992. He lives in New York City.
David Friend is Vanity Fairand#8217;s editor of creative development.