A Season of Splendor The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York

by King, Greg

• ISBN13: 9780470185698
• ISBN10: 0470185694
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-13
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The splendor and the excesses of the 400 FamiliesEven after a hundred years, New York's 400 Families continue to captivate readers. This book brings to life this extraordinary era, from the people and their delicious scandals to their extravagant palaces and opulent balls--a time when Mrs. Astor held sway, the Vanderbilts rebuilt society, and New York was the most glamorous, most envied, and most condemned city in America.Greg King (Everett, WA) is the author of the British bestseller The Duchess of Windsor: The Uncommon Life of Wallis Simpson (978-0-8065-2464-1), as well as The Court of the Last Tsar (978-0-471-72763-7), The Fate of the Romanovs (978-0-471-20768-9), and Twilight of Splendor (978-0-470-04439-1). He has appeared as an on-screen commentator for the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and A&E.

Author Biography

Greg King is the author of the British bestseller The Duchess of Windsor: The Uncommon Life of Wallis Simpson as well as The Court of the Last Tsar, The Fate of the Romanovs, and Twilight of Splendor. He has appeared as an onscreen commentator for the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and A&E.

Table of Contents

A Note on Currency
Prologue: New York City, 1903	p. 13
Mrs. Astor Holds Court	p. 23
The Vainglorious Vanderbilts	p. 39
Enter the Challenger	p. 53
The Society Lady	p. 67
The Society Gentleman	p. 87
The Court Jester	p. 103
The Arrivistes	p. 115
The Edifice Complex	p. 129
Palaces on Fifth Avenue	p. 141
Mrs. Astor Joins the Race	p. 165
Building for Eternity	p. 179
The Unseen Armies	p. 195
Clothing	p. 209
Jewelry	p. 221
Transportation	p. 231
Masters of the Hudson	p. 249
"The Inland Newport"	p. 271
Monarch of the Smoky Mountains	p. 287
The Kingdom by the Sea	p. 299
Swells in Newport	p. 319
The Social Season	p. 337
The Society Dinner Party	p. 349
Society Balls	p. 361
The Dollar Princesses	p. 377
A Breath of Scandal	p. 399
Sailing to Oblivion	p. 423
Notes	p. 457
Bibliography	p. 481
Index	p. 491
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.