Books by Graydon Carter

What We've Lost: How the Bush Administration Has Curtailed Our Freedoms, Mortgaged Our Economy, Ravaged Our Environment, And Damaged Our Standing in the World

by Graydon Carter

The editor of Vanity Fair magazine offers a hard-hitting assessment of the Bush administration's first term, and its disastrous effects on America at home and abroad, in this revised paperback edition which includes new material on Bush's re-election and second term.

What We've Lost addresses the fragile state of U.S. democracy with a critical review of the Bush administration by one of our leading magazine editors, Graydon Carter. Carter expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the state of the nation in his monthly editor's letters in Vanity Fair--which aroused widespread comment. In this updated edition of What We've Lost he provides a sweeping, painstakingly detailed account of the ruinous effects of this president's first term, and warns us what more we stand to lose following his re-election.

The Great Hangover: 21 Tales of the New Recession from the Pages of Vanity Fair

by Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair

A collection of stories from Vanity Fair magazine about the current financial crisis by some of the country’s best business journalists, including Michael Lewis (Moneyball, Liar’s Poker), Bryan Burrough (Barbarians at the Gate), and Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down), edited by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, and with an introduction by Cullen Murphy (Are We Rome?).

Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells: The Best of Early Vanity Fair

by Graydon Carter, David Friend

Offering readers an inebriating swig from the great cocktail shaker of the Roaring Twenties—the Jazz Age, the age of Gatsby—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 Murderers’ Row of the world’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 hasn’t married

Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells: The Best of Early Vanity Fair

by Graydon Carter, David Friend

For the magazine’s centenary celebration, an anthology of pieces from the early golden age of Vanity Fair

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Vanity Fair magazine, Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells celebrates the publication’s astonishing early catalogue of writers, with works by Dorothy Parker, Noël Coward, P. G. Wodehouse, Jean Cocteau, Colette, Gertrude Stein, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sherwood Anderson, Robert Benchley, Langston Hughes—and many others. Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter introduces these fabulous pieces written between 1913 and 1936, when the magazine published a murderers’ row of the world’s leading literary lights.

Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells features great writers on great topics, including F. Scott Fitzgerald on what a magazine should be, Clarence Darrow on equality, D. H. Lawrence on women, e.e. cummings on Calvin Coolidge, John Maynard Keynes on the collapse in money value, Thomas Mann on how films move the human heart, Alexander Woollcott on Harpo Marx, Carl Sandburg on Charlie Chaplin, Djuna Barnes on James Joyce, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., on Joan Crawford, and Dorothy Parker on a host of topics ranging from why she hates actresses to why she hasn’t married.

These essays reflect the rich period of their creation while simultaneously addressing topics that would be recognizable in the magazine today, such as how women should navigate work and home life; our destructive fascination with the entertainment industry and with professional sports; the collapse of public faith in the financial industry; and, as Aldous Huxley asks herein, “What, Exactly, Is Modern?”

Offering readers an inebriating swig from that great cocktail shaker of the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, the age of Gatsby, Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells showcases unforgettable writers in search of how to live well in a changing era.

Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood: Rebels, Reds, and Graduates and the Wild Stories Behind the Making of 13 Iconic Films

by Graydon Carter

The stories behind the stories of some of Hollywood's most iconic movies

The magazine world 's monthly arbiter of culture, personality, and world affairs, Vanity Fair has always offered the definitive insider's look at Hollywood power and glamour since its relaunch twenty-five years ago. Now, for the first time ever, Vanity Fair presents a one-of-a-kind collection featuring thirteen behind-the- scenes stories on some of cinema's most iconic films-including pictures as varied as All About Eve, Cleopatra, Sweet Smell of Success, Rebel Without a Cause, and Saturday Night Fever. For pop-culture fanatics and movie buffs alike, Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood is an irresistible glimpse at how classic films-and box office bombs-are made.

What We've Lost: How the Bush Administration Has Curtailed Our Freedoms, Mortgaged Our Economy, Ravaged Our Environment, and Damaged Our Standing in the World

by Graydon Carter

What We've Lost addresses the fragile state of U.S. democracy with a critical review of the Bush administrationby one of our leading magazine editors, Graydon Carter. Carter has expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the current state of the nation in his monthly editor's letters in Vanity Fair--which have aroused widespread comment--and now provides a sweeping, painstakingly detailed account of the ruinous effects of this president.

The invasion of Iraq, which has proven so costly for the U.S. in lives, dollars, and international standing, is only the tip of the iceberg. It is the war at home, a quiet, covert, and in many ways more lasting and damaging war, that Carter is most wary of. The Bush White House has chipped away at decades' worth of advances in personal rights, women's rights, the economy, and the environment. It is difficult to point to a single element of American society that comes under federal jurisdiction that is not worse off now than it was an administration ago, from civil liberties to the economy, foreign affairs to the environment.

Carter discusses these topics and many more with great cogency and specificity, detailing what Bush's radical agenda means for America's future--and its future standing in the world. What We've Lost is not the position paper of a policy wonk or a pundit, but the impassioned argument of a concerned citizen in response to the most precarious political crisis of our time.

When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines

by Graydon Carter

From the pages of Vanity Fair to the red carpets of Hollywood, editor Graydon Carter’s memoir revives the glamorous heyday of print magazines when they were at the vanguard of American culture

When Graydon Carter was offered the editorship of Vanity Fair in 1992, he knew he faced an uphill battle—how to make the esteemed and long-established magazine his own. Not only was he confronted with a staff that he perceived to be loyal to the previous regime, but he arrived only a few years after launching Spy magazine, which gloried in skewering the celebrated and powerful—the very people Vanity Fair venerated. With curiosity, fearlessness, and a love of recent history and glamour that would come to define his storied career in magazines, Carter succeeded in endearing himself to his editors, contributors, and readers, as well as many of the faces that would come to appear in Vanity Fair’s pages. He went on to run the magazine with overwhelming success for the next two and a half decades.

Filled with colorful memories and intimate details, When the Going Was Good is Graydon Carter’s lively recounting of how he made his mark as one of the most talented editors in the business. Moving to New York from Canada, he worked at Time, Life, The New York Observer, and Spy, before catching the eye of Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse, who pulled him in to run Vanity Fair. In Newhouse he found an unwavering champion, a loyal proprietor who gave Carter the editorial and financial freedom to thrive. Annie Leibovitz’s photographs would come to define the look of the magazine, as would the “New Establishment” and annual Hollywood issues. Carter further planted a flag in Los Angeles with the legendary Vanity Fair Oscar party.

With his inimitable voice and signature quip, he brings readers to lunches and dinners with the great and good of America, Britain, and Europe. He assembled one of the most formidable stables of writers and photographers under one roof, and here he re-creates in real time the steps he took to ensure Vanity Fair cemented its place as the epicenter of art, culture, business, and politics, even as digital media took hold. Charming, candid, and brimming with stories, When the Going Was Good perfectly captures the last golden age of print magazines from the inside out.

Vanity Fair: The Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images

by Graydon Carter, David Friend

Vanity Fair: The Portraits brings together 300 iconic portraits from Vanity Fair’s 95-year history in a remarkable book that captures the image of modern fame—the magical thing that happens when individual talent and beauty (and sometimes genius) is caught in the spotlight of popular curiosity and passion. The photographers—from Edward Steichen and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz and Mario Testino—are a glittering and celebrated group themselves. Their portraits have become the iconic likenesses of the best-known figures from the worlds of art, film, music, sports, business, and politics.

From legends such as Pablo Picasso, Amelia Earhart, Cary Grant, and Katharine Hepburn to the stars, writers, athletes, style icons, and titans of business and politics of today, Vanity Fair: The Portraits offers an authoritative roster of talent and glamour in the 20th century.

Vanity Fair's Presidential Profiles: Defining Portraits, Deeds, and Misdeeds of 43 Notable Americans--And What Each One Really Thought About His Predecessor

by Graydon Carter, Judy Bachrach

Forty-three men have held the highest office in the United States, making up an exclusive club of statesmen and sinners, grinds and slackers, winners and losers, Boy Scouts and rogues. They are profiled in incisive and entertaining commentaries written by Vanity Fair contributors Judy Bachrach, David Friend, David Kamp, Todd S. Purdum, and Jim Windolf that tell of their deeds, plumb their characters, and dispense the essential dish about their personal lives. Portraits newly drawn by the acclaimed artist Mark Summers illuminate each of them as vivid individuals. Also included: revealing remarks-in the presidents' own words-showing what each really thought about the man who had preceded him in the Oval Office, an introduction by Graydon Carter, and a foreword by Washington insider Todd S. Purdum.

From George Washington to Barack Obama, here is a memorable chronicle of America's, and the world's, most powerful men, combining history, biography, art, politics, and gossip--and covering international affairs, domestic affairs, and . . . affairs of the heart--in one small, indispensable volume.

Advance praise for Vanity Fair’s Presidential Profiles

“I have had the honor of interviewing every U.S. president since Richard Nixon. But oh, how I wish I had had a copy of Vanity Fair’s Presidential Profiles. It is chock full of insights and information I would have relished.”
-Barbara Walters, ABC News

“Just what we’ve come to expect from Graydon Carter and the talented teams he assembles for Vanity Fair projects—a collection of smart, well researched pieces, beautifully illustrated and filled with details and quotes we never seem to find elsewhere. This one is a keeper.”
-Bob Schieffer, chief Washington correspondent, CBS News

“This is the story of who we are, as measured by those we have elected to lead us. White men, overwhelmingly…12 military generals among them. What else does it say about us? This is essential reading— a citizens' guide to American Presidents, written in classic American style. May we learn from all of them…the good, the bad, the ugly.”
-Brian Williams, anchor and managing Editor, NBC Nightly News

“A must read for American history addicts like myself. It's also a fun resource for casual browsers who will enjoy its beautifully rendered illustrations and the pithy essays by America's greatest writers who have assembled biographical highlights and lively anecdotes that bring to life each of our nation's elected executives.”
-Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“Deftly combines portraits and prose with Vanity Fair’s unmistakable style. The result is an informative and entertaining chronology of American presidents."
-Vernon E. Jordan, Jr, senior managing director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC, and chairman of the Clinton-Gore transition team

“A great historical contribution to the American library—an indispensible guide to those who aspire to public office. The Mark Summers illustrations are a magnificent study in character and leadership. Graydon Carter’s and Todd S. Purdum’s contributions are intellectually superb. Having covered ten presidents, I just love the book.”
–Helen Thomas, columnist, Hearst newspapers

Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire: 101 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life

by Graydon Carter

An intimate look into the inner lives of our most prominent cultural figures— pulled from the celebrated Proust Questionnaire page in Vanity Fair magazine. The probing set of questions originated as a 19th-century parlor game popularized by contemporaries of Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that an individual's answers reveal his true nature. Illustrated by Risko, Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire Edited by Graydon Carter and Illustrated by Risko, brings together the responses of 101 of the most vibrant personalities of our time, from Bette Midler and Lauren Bacall to Salman Rushdie and Norman Mailer, from Martin Scorsese and Shirley MacLaine to Aretha Franklin and Eric Clapton. Candid, hilarious, and endlessly fascinating,

Annie Leibovitz

by Graydon Carter, Steve Martin, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Paul Roth

When Benedikt Taschen asked the most important portrait photographer working today, Annie Leibovitz, to collect her pictures in a SUMO-sized book, she was intrigued by the challenge. The project took several years to develop and when it was finally published in 2014, it weighed in at 26 kg (57 pounds).

This incredible collection is now available in an accessible XXL book format.

Leibovitz drew on more than 40 years of work, starting with the photojournalism she did for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s through the conceptual portraits she made for Vanity Fair and Vogue. She selected iconic images—such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono entwined in a last embrace—as well as portraits that had rarely, if ever, been seen before.

The Annie Leibovitz SUMO covered political and cultural history, from Queen Elizabeth II and Richard Nixon to Laurie Anderson and Lady Gaga.

“What I had thought of initially as a simple process of imagining what looked good big, what photographs would work in a large format, became something else,” Leibovitz says. “The book is very personal, but the narrative is told through popular culture. It’s not arranged chronologically and it’s not a retrospective. It’s more like a roller coaster.”

Fans of Leibovitz and her many celebrated subjects can now enjoy that same roller coaster ride for themselves with this unlimited edition.

Vanity Fair's Writers on Writers

by Graydon Carter

A collection of beloved authors on beloved writers, including Martin Amis on Saul Bellow, Truman Capote on Willa Cather, and Salman Rushdie on Christopher Hitchens, as featured in Vanity Fair

What did Christopher Hitchens think of Dorothy Parker? How did meeting e.e. cummings change the young Susan Cheever? What does Martin Amis have to say about how Saul Bellow’s love life influenced his writing? Vanity Fair has published many of the most interesting writers and thinkers of our time. Collected here for the first time are forty-one essays exploring how writers influence one another and our culture, from James Baldwin to Joan Didion to James Patterson.

Vanity Fair's Schools For Scandal The Inside Dramas at 16 of America’s Most Elite Campuses—Plus Oxford!

by Graydon Carter

Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter shares a definitive, provocative collection of the magazine’s finest dispatches on the political, sexual, and administrative scandals that have swept our nation’s campuses.

Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal, edited by Graydon Carter, with an introduction by Cullen Murphy, brings together the magazine’s finest reporting on the scandals that have swept our nation’s most elite campuses over the past twenty-five years—all in one definitive, provocative volume.

The stories collected here speak to an American obsession with status and to the lengths we will go to achieve it, preserve it, or destroy it—from the enduring, shadowy influence of Yale’s secret societies to the infamous “senior salute” at St. Paul’s School; from the false accusations in the Duke lacrosse team’s infamous rape case to the (mis)reportage of a sexual assault at the University of Virginia; from a deadly extreme-sport episode at Oxford to the Keystone Kop theft of a college’s rare books to the allegations of fraud by the now-shuttered Trump University.

Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal brings focus to the perils facing American education today and how the life of the mind, and the significance of the institutions meant to foster it, has been negatively impacted by the partisan politics of privatization, tensions over so-called political correctness, the fraught dynamic of the teacher-student relationship, and what happens when visions for a bold future collide with the desire to maintain hidebound (or venerable) traditions.

With an array of Vanity Fair’s signature writers—including Buzz Bissinger, William D. Cohan, Sarah Ellison, Evgenia Peretz, Todd S. Purdum, and Sam Tanenhaus, among others—Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal presents a compelling if troubling account of the state of elite education today, and the evolving social, sexual, racial, and economic forces that have shaped it.

Spy: The Funny Years

by Graydon Carter, Kurt Andersen, George Kalogerakis

Just in time for the 20th anniversary of Spy's creation comes the definitive anthology, inside story, and scrapbook. Spy: The Funny Years will remind the magazine's million readers why they loved and depended on Spy and bring to a new generation the jewels of its reporting and writing, photography, illustration, design, and world-class mischief-making. It will demonstrate Spy's singular niche in American magazine and cultural history. But it is also intended to be enjoyed on its own: one beautiful volume containing Spy's funniest and most creative work, along with the ultimate insiders account of how it all came to be.

All the best is here: Separated at Birth; Naked City; The Fine Print; Logrolling in Our Time; the Blurb-o-Mat; those hysterical (and now ubiquitous) charts; the inside stories on the New York Times and Hollywood by J.J. Hunsecker and Celia Brady; the covers; investigative features; and the hilarious stories on pretty much everyone who was anyone during the late 80s and early 90s. Not to mention the often grisly but always entertaining regular cast of characters from Spy's pages -- the churlish dwarf billionaires; beaver-faced moguls; bull-whip-wielding uber-agents; knobby-kneed socialites; and, of course, short-fingered vulgarians.

During its heyday, from 1986 through 1993, Spy broke important ground in journalism and design, defining smartness for its generation. It was a once-in-a-lifetime creation that shaped the zeitgeist and succeeded (for a while) against all odds. Spy: The Funny Years will be the fun, stylish, hilarious holiday gift of the year.