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Empire of the Elite
From a
New York Times
media correspondent, a dishy history of the Condé Nast magazine empire, home of
Vogue
,
Vanity Fair
,
The
New Yorker
, and more, focusing on its glitzy heyday from the 1980s through the 2000s.
For decades, Condé Nast and its glittering magazines defined how to live the good life in America. The brilliant, complicated, striving characters behind Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ, Architectural Digest, and many other titles manufactured a vision of luxury and sophistication that shaped consumer habits, cultural trends, intellectual attitudes, and political beliefs the world over. Condé’s billionaire owner Si Newhouse and his stable of star editors, photographers, and writers were the gatekeepers who decided what and who mattered, and they offered those opinions to tens of millions of readers every month. They were the ultimate influencers—before social media changed everything. The magazines crowned celebrities by the dozens, patronized creative talent much as the Medicis had underwritten Renaissance artists, and supercharged opulent events like the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and the Met Gala, which came to rival any fete that Louis XIV ever hosted at Versailles. The book is full of fresh behind-the-scenes reporting about a plethora of boldface names and sets out to explain how Condé Nast established itself as a de facto American aristocracy, anointing an elite and dictating the culture they presided over.
The colorful story of Condé Nast at its zenith and the profound way it influenced how Americans aspired to look, eat, decorate, date, marry, and even think, has never been examined deeply. Empire of the Elite is the first book-length history of an empire whose publications refashioned American notions of prestige, whose editors became celebrities themselves, and whose diminution offers a cautionary tale of class, hubris, and technological change, even as its aesthetic and ethos remain influential to this day.
For decades, Condé Nast and its glittering magazines defined how to live the good life in America. The brilliant, complicated, striving characters behind Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ, Architectural Digest, and many other titles manufactured a vision of luxury and sophistication that shaped consumer habits, cultural trends, intellectual attitudes, and political beliefs the world over. Condé’s billionaire owner Si Newhouse and his stable of star editors, photographers, and writers were the gatekeepers who decided what and who mattered, and they offered those opinions to tens of millions of readers every month. They were the ultimate influencers—before social media changed everything. The magazines crowned celebrities by the dozens, patronized creative talent much as the Medicis had underwritten Renaissance artists, and supercharged opulent events like the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and the Met Gala, which came to rival any fete that Louis XIV ever hosted at Versailles. The book is full of fresh behind-the-scenes reporting about a plethora of boldface names and sets out to explain how Condé Nast established itself as a de facto American aristocracy, anointing an elite and dictating the culture they presided over.
The colorful story of Condé Nast at its zenith and the profound way it influenced how Americans aspired to look, eat, decorate, date, marry, and even think, has never been examined deeply. Empire of the Elite is the first book-length history of an empire whose publications refashioned American notions of prestige, whose editors became celebrities themselves, and whose diminution offers a cautionary tale of class, hubris, and technological change, even as its aesthetic and ethos remain influential to this day.
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Published July 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
June 21, 2025
If you’ve ever been interested in the ways magazine publishing shaped the twentieth century - or picked up a copy of the New Yorker, Vogue, or Vanity Fair and wanted to know more about the world behind those witty, stylish pages - this book is an absolute must-read. Grynbaum expertly relates the story of Condé Nast through the decades, filling his narrative with unforgettable characters framed in consistently insightful and entertaining terms. Empire of the Elite is a joy to read.
August 3, 2025
Every girl yearns to live in the golden era of Condé Nast and have a job that only exists in 90s rom coms. This extensive history reaffirms this. Very interesting to trace how popular media we know today was shaped directly by so many of the stories in this book.
September 29, 2025
*** 9/29/25 *** Just finished this intensively researched history of Conde Nast, written with such densely packed information covering the family over 15+ decades, from the birth of Conde Montrose Nast in 1873 to the modern 2020's++ era.
Michael Grynbaum's writing style is as one might expect for an author who has spent the entirety of his career at The New York Times after graduating from Harvard - every single sentence conveys powerful information, and the vocabulary is spectacular. I gave up trying to highlight interesting facts 20% in. Despite this being only 368-pages (hardback), it reads like a much longer book, even though the actual written content ends at the 50% mark! Readers then get photos from 51%-58%, and then citations by chapter until the index begins at 74%.
This isn't to say that the book is anything but educational, compelling, shocking, and eye-opening - it is all of those things and more. It is kind of like when you are traveling and have an amazing tour guide who educates you about particular site's history, anecdotes, and interesting facts - you are mesmerized, but have no hope of recalling 90% of it later, it is just too much information.
What stands out to me is how Conde Nast played a pretty major role in the pre-history of out current president, by writing an article that they themselves pushed into a deal to publish his infamous book that put him in front of the American people for the first time. Another major emphasis is the absolutely stunning level of consumption of $$$ in the name of publishing their magazines. The newspapers in their dynasty paid for all the spending by the magazine staff: the cars, homes, designer clothes, elite hotel suites, travel, and as many other ways you can think of to spend copious amounts of money, all in the name of defining elite culture. The last thing that jumped out at me is how terribly wrong Si Newhouse and his leaders were in paying attention to the internet. Thankfully, the family had various businesses, made some good investments along the way, were always rich (private company), and have so much money they will never be poor lol.
Very interesting history and a must read for anyone who lived through the magazine eras of the 70's, 80's and 90's. 5-stars.
*** 9/16/25 *** Picked by my book club - looking forward to reading about those 80's/90's power brokers who influenced - defined, really - culture in that glorious pre-internet era where actual written blurbs, articles, and images were created, disseminated, and consumed by the public, instead of digital content on smartphones.
Michael Grynbaum's writing style is as one might expect for an author who has spent the entirety of his career at The New York Times after graduating from Harvard - every single sentence conveys powerful information, and the vocabulary is spectacular. I gave up trying to highlight interesting facts 20% in. Despite this being only 368-pages (hardback), it reads like a much longer book, even though the actual written content ends at the 50% mark! Readers then get photos from 51%-58%, and then citations by chapter until the index begins at 74%.
This isn't to say that the book is anything but educational, compelling, shocking, and eye-opening - it is all of those things and more. It is kind of like when you are traveling and have an amazing tour guide who educates you about particular site's history, anecdotes, and interesting facts - you are mesmerized, but have no hope of recalling 90% of it later, it is just too much information.
What stands out to me is how Conde Nast played a pretty major role in the pre-history of out current president, by writing an article that they themselves pushed into a deal to publish his infamous book that put him in front of the American people for the first time. Another major emphasis is the absolutely stunning level of consumption of $$$ in the name of publishing their magazines. The newspapers in their dynasty paid for all the spending by the magazine staff: the cars, homes, designer clothes, elite hotel suites, travel, and as many other ways you can think of to spend copious amounts of money, all in the name of defining elite culture. The last thing that jumped out at me is how terribly wrong Si Newhouse and his leaders were in paying attention to the internet. Thankfully, the family had various businesses, made some good investments along the way, were always rich (private company), and have so much money they will never be poor lol.
Very interesting history and a must read for anyone who lived through the magazine eras of the 70's, 80's and 90's. 5-stars.
*** 9/16/25 *** Picked by my book club - looking forward to reading about those 80's/90's power brokers who influenced - defined, really - culture in that glorious pre-internet era where actual written blurbs, articles, and images were created, disseminated, and consumed by the public, instead of digital content on smartphones.
July 20, 2025
Michael Grynbaum is an American journalist. His 2025 book Empire of the Elite focuses on the history and cultural impact of the Condé Nast publishing house, the company behind media brands including Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, Bon Appétit, Glamour, GQ, Architectural Digest, etc., etc.
I think this book will be of interest to those who are familiar with these brands and the people involved. I'm not particularly familiar, so the large cast of characters and the recounting of blow-by-blow events from decades ago was overwhelming and of limited interest for me, leading me to DNF this book around 60% of the way through.
My statistics:
Book 221 for 2025
Book 2147 cumulatively
I think this book will be of interest to those who are familiar with these brands and the people involved. I'm not particularly familiar, so the large cast of characters and the recounting of blow-by-blow events from decades ago was overwhelming and of limited interest for me, leading me to DNF this book around 60% of the way through.
My statistics:
Book 221 for 2025
Book 2147 cumulatively
July 16, 2025
The O.G. of Influencers.
That's what Conde Nast has proven to be. Print media has gone to the wayside. The Conde Nast unlimited coffers for its editors and writers will never be replicated and yes, a number of iconic magazines (Self, Gourmet) may have folded . Yet, Conde Nast's influence is still felt in today's digital age.
At it's zenith, the Conde Nast influence sprawled over a diverse swath of sectors: from the culinary, literary, fashion, to architecture. Learned quite a bit about familiar names like Tina Brown, David Remnick and Anna Wintour and introduced to the (diminutive in size but not in influence) Si Newhouse. For instance, how Anna Wintour revitalized the then stodgy Costume Institute Benefit (currently known as the Met Gala), the inception of Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue (and why it was so significant), and Tina Brown's trailblazing editorial actions taken with Vanity Fair.
This ARC was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster ,in exchange for an honest review.
That's what Conde Nast has proven to be. Print media has gone to the wayside. The Conde Nast unlimited coffers for its editors and writers will never be replicated and yes, a number of iconic magazines (Self, Gourmet) may have folded . Yet, Conde Nast's influence is still felt in today's digital age.
At it's zenith, the Conde Nast influence sprawled over a diverse swath of sectors: from the culinary, literary, fashion, to architecture. Learned quite a bit about familiar names like Tina Brown, David Remnick and Anna Wintour and introduced to the (diminutive in size but not in influence) Si Newhouse. For instance, how Anna Wintour revitalized the then stodgy Costume Institute Benefit (currently known as the Met Gala), the inception of Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue (and why it was so significant), and Tina Brown's trailblazing editorial actions taken with Vanity Fair.
This ARC was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster ,in exchange for an honest review.
October 14, 2025
excellent reporting on a fascinating publishing company. that shaped a lot of current american culture. rewatched devil wears prada for the vibes
December 21, 2025
Incredibly well researched, Grynbaum’s writing is incisive while retaining an ease of prose that’s delightful to read. I agree with Tina Brown’s position that the role of the cultural arbiter is integral, yet in jeopardy.
December 16, 2025
A wonderful book if you like the history of magazines…and the culture of the 20th century.
August 1, 2025
i love this shit. some thoughts:
1. i appreciate how this book goes beyond the classic "legacy media was soooo out of touch" criticism and dives into the deeper context around publishing and elitism; like yes - legacy media WAS (and some outlets still are) out of touch, but this does not merit a whole book (hello taylor lorenz) as it is not a new or exciting observation. ANYWAYS. i appreciated how EotE explored the reasons for condé’s outoftouchness — including the psychological and classist ones
2. i think the characterization of condé as a sort of aspirational American myth is spot on. the decadence, the francophilia, the "i’m going from rags to riches and slamming the door behind me" philosophy is so central to america
3. i DO think this book comes really close to perfect… BUT it falls short when it begins to explore how yesterday’s magazines and curators were replaced by today’s algorithms.
the book pins much of this on slow-to-adapt editors, millennials’ a distaste for the display of wealth, and gen z’s lack of community - which are all valid - but i think PERSONALLY it has more to do with cost. algorithms are the new magazines because they are free, personalized, and endless. nobody pays for curated news or media because nobody has to— which is sad, and i don’t know what the solution is — but i think that to ignore social media’s usurpation of traditional media (from books to movies to magazines) is a mistake. but all that said.. i DO think social media is gonna die as a concept within like ten years. and i haven’t written a book, so what do i know?
side note: love how anna wintour stepped down just before this came out, when there is a whole chapter on how she Will Never Leave, essentially casting doubt on the whole work… what a diva move on her part
1. i appreciate how this book goes beyond the classic "legacy media was soooo out of touch" criticism and dives into the deeper context around publishing and elitism; like yes - legacy media WAS (and some outlets still are) out of touch, but this does not merit a whole book (hello taylor lorenz) as it is not a new or exciting observation. ANYWAYS. i appreciated how EotE explored the reasons for condé’s outoftouchness — including the psychological and classist ones
2. i think the characterization of condé as a sort of aspirational American myth is spot on. the decadence, the francophilia, the "i’m going from rags to riches and slamming the door behind me" philosophy is so central to america
3. i DO think this book comes really close to perfect… BUT it falls short when it begins to explore how yesterday’s magazines and curators were replaced by today’s algorithms.
the book pins much of this on slow-to-adapt editors, millennials’ a distaste for the display of wealth, and gen z’s lack of community - which are all valid - but i think PERSONALLY it has more to do with cost. algorithms are the new magazines because they are free, personalized, and endless. nobody pays for curated news or media because nobody has to— which is sad, and i don’t know what the solution is — but i think that to ignore social media’s usurpation of traditional media (from books to movies to magazines) is a mistake. but all that said.. i DO think social media is gonna die as a concept within like ten years. and i haven’t written a book, so what do i know?
side note: love how anna wintour stepped down just before this came out, when there is a whole chapter on how she Will Never Leave, essentially casting doubt on the whole work… what a diva move on her part
November 15, 2025
Terrible narrator on the audiobook.
July 25, 2025
The story is told well, but it provides a look at people of privilege who make their livelihoods peddling illusions of glamor and wealth to folks who don't have the means to achieve such an existence. I pretty much checked out when the story got to the point where staffers were belly-aching about budget cuts that forced them to drink tap water.
September 19, 2025
3.5 If you like your history books the way you like your Mexican jumping beans—that is, jumping around all over the place—this one’s for you. The Empire of the Elite, a history of Condé Nast, is nothing if not exhaustive. In print, the dense detail can feel rich and rewarding, but in audio, it becomes overwhelming—and the narrator’s flat delivery made it more boring than it actually is. I usually breeze through books like this, but it took me almost a full week to get through, jumping myself from print to audio and back again.
That said, I did enjoy revisiting eras I lived through and found it fun to Google some old iconic covers of Vogue, Spy, and Vanity Fair i remembered along the way.
As a perennial student of media studies, I found it fascinating to compare the influence magazines once held with the way we now use Instagram—not for glossy aspirational fantasies, but for envy-inducing glimpses into the supposedly perfect lives of people we actually know. No wonder we’re all miserable. At least when it was Madonna living the high life you could shrug and say, “Well yeah, it’s freaking Madonna.” Now it’s your cousin from New Jersey. We’re all gatekeepers now; in fact the author christened it “the post-gatekeeper era,” where aspirations have become expectations, with all the pressures that come with that. But ya know, do I really want to be like Anna Wintour or Snooky from Jersey? I like to think that I still hold the keys and am aware of the difference. At least I hope so.
So this book is a lot—meticulous, ambitious, and occasionally overstuffed. Worth reading if you want the full sweep of Condé Nast’s empire, but best tackled with patience. And useful for media studies scholars.
That said, I did enjoy revisiting eras I lived through and found it fun to Google some old iconic covers of Vogue, Spy, and Vanity Fair i remembered along the way.
As a perennial student of media studies, I found it fascinating to compare the influence magazines once held with the way we now use Instagram—not for glossy aspirational fantasies, but for envy-inducing glimpses into the supposedly perfect lives of people we actually know. No wonder we’re all miserable. At least when it was Madonna living the high life you could shrug and say, “Well yeah, it’s freaking Madonna.” Now it’s your cousin from New Jersey. We’re all gatekeepers now; in fact the author christened it “the post-gatekeeper era,” where aspirations have become expectations, with all the pressures that come with that. But ya know, do I really want to be like Anna Wintour or Snooky from Jersey? I like to think that I still hold the keys and am aware of the difference. At least I hope so.
So this book is a lot—meticulous, ambitious, and occasionally overstuffed. Worth reading if you want the full sweep of Condé Nast’s empire, but best tackled with patience. And useful for media studies scholars.
November 21, 2025
If I’m being honest the only Condé Nast magazines that I currently read or have read in the past are:
- Condé Nast Traveler
- Glamour
- Teen Vogue (RIP their political department)
With that, my main complaint here is the lack of conversation around Tern Vogue when Teen Vogue did bring an entire new generation into the arms of Condé Nast. Maybe my mind is just stuck on it since Teen Vogue is officially moving under Vogue.com
This was published in July 2025 and it’s amazing how much has happened in the Condé Nast world since. Besides the Teen Vogue move, Anna Wintour’s replacement was announced and as of this week, Jeff Bezos and his wife have their hands in the Met Gala (big yikes)
Overall, if you’re looking for a broad history of Condé Nast with some dishy information, this is it. Come back here when you find out how much people were making at Condé Nast in the 90s and early 2000s 🫢
See my review on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRVSVF6kS...
- Condé Nast Traveler
- Glamour
- Teen Vogue (RIP their political department)
With that, my main complaint here is the lack of conversation around Tern Vogue when Teen Vogue did bring an entire new generation into the arms of Condé Nast. Maybe my mind is just stuck on it since Teen Vogue is officially moving under Vogue.com
This was published in July 2025 and it’s amazing how much has happened in the Condé Nast world since. Besides the Teen Vogue move, Anna Wintour’s replacement was announced and as of this week, Jeff Bezos and his wife have their hands in the Met Gala (big yikes)
Overall, if you’re looking for a broad history of Condé Nast with some dishy information, this is it. Come back here when you find out how much people were making at Condé Nast in the 90s and early 2000s 🫢
See my review on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRVSVF6kS...
August 23, 2025
Qual è la vera storia dietro l’impero di Condé Nast, la casa editrice che ci ha regalato la mitologia di Vogue, o anche gli Oscar Party di Vanity Fair? Il giornalista del New York Times Michael Grynbaum lo spiega in questo libro che è un vademecum su come siamo arrivati ai giornali così come li conosciamo oggi, insieme ad un aneddotica da far cadere la mascella: c’è il direttore che per accettare meglio il licenziamento, riceverà 350 k all’anno, a vita, quella che invece direttrice non viene mai fatta perché non mangia correttamente gli asparagi; le folli diarie per i viaggi, i mutui agevolati per case in campagna e montagna, le spese allocate al guardaroba, la storia degli articoli che hanno cambiato la percezione americana su argomenti come la depressione e l’Aids. A confronto il diavolo veste Prada vi sembrerà una favola per bambini.
August 27, 2025
conde was described here as “the closest the late 20th century had come to reassembling the great old hollywood culture factories of the 1930s” which i thought was fascinating. i also enjoyed the peek into anna wintour’s early career and all the missteps / stumbling around before finding her stride - fired from harpers after a year at 26 and doing fashion at new york mag at 31 (which is, like, trying to be a seed investor at TCV). i had no idea! conde’s inability to understand / harness the digital age is one of the greatest fumbles of all time imo… what happened??
September 14, 2025
A must-read for anyone interested in the world of journalism or magazines, as well as those in PR and marketing, and business owners struggling with "scaling."
Grynbaum is a great writer, focusing on Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and Vogue...though many other titles and editors are touched on.
Grynbaum is a great writer, focusing on Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and Vogue...though many other titles and editors are touched on.
December 5, 2025
enjoyed learning about the inner workings & rich history of a (former?) purveyor of culture; would only recommend to people (like me) who grew up with a mother always nose deep in the latest issue of vanity fair
August 2, 2025
Absolutely loved it. So mindblowing if you know what it’s like to deal with Condé Nast these days. A wonderful example that nothing lasts forever
October 17, 2025
Started slow, fascinating look into a publishing giant and the role of magazines, narrator on audio was dreadful. Almost made me stop!
August 9, 2025
Kind of jumps around but very interesting
Read
September 18, 2025Smart, dishy, perfect
December 8, 2025
dishy, vivacious, sympathetic. grynbaum’s voice is a finely tuned instrument, rich and evocative. I loved this book.
October 19, 2025
Natural follow or precursor to Grayson Carter's "When the Going Was Good," and excellently researched and exceedingly detailed look at how Si Newhouse shaped the culture through the various magazines we read: Mademoiselle, Vogue, Self, Vanity Fair and ultimately saved (probably) and revived The New Yorker. Some of the history early on can be tiring, but basically it's pulling the curtain back and looking at how things were done and the scandalous amount of waste! No wonder there was no money for the newspaper side of things.
September 20, 2025
Writers are elite, period. I have always been fascinated by the world of media, culture, and journalism. Heck I even wrote about Anna Wintour for one of my high school essays, and scored the highest marks in class for it. Always mystified by the mind of Wintour, or any respectable journalist for that matter. This book introduced me to David Remnick, chief editor of the esteemed New Yorker, Graydon Carter, former editor of Vanity Fair and whose coolness and edge and sharp wit are reminiscent of that of Anthony Bourdain’s. I could see how the duo would be close buddies envied by many. Their minds combined, masterful and only a matter of time destined for world domination. On that note, Bourdain’s very first essay was also published in the New Yorker, and from that if I remember correctly was what secured him a book deal, Kitchen Confidential. The Spy, a satirical magazine co-founded by Carter himself and a friend taking shots at every famous figure of the moment imaginable. Just grown men being cheeky, playful, and ruthless with words and getting paid for it. Reminds me of Noah Baumbach who wrote the screenplay for Madagascar 3, rife with the silliest of jokes, and so much life. I envy all journalists. Wish I could turn back time and choose it as a career. Print magazines in this day and age are making a comeback. Chloe Malle, head of editorial content for American Vogue, is a writer first. Pamela Anderson writes and a voracious reader herself, and her memoir remains one of my best reads.
I am of the opinion that we need cultural gatekeepers. Only through them can we discover great literature, cinema, music, theatre, and more. GQ, or Gentlemen’s Quarterly, part of the elite magazine empire, recently published a list of quality anticipated reads for the year. Sophie Kemp’s Paradise Logic is on it — my 2025’s top read, so far. Impatiently waiting for her friend Anika Jade Levy’s debut to be published called Flat Earth, out this November.
I am eternally grateful for Mom, for the gift of loving to read.
I am of the opinion that we need cultural gatekeepers. Only through them can we discover great literature, cinema, music, theatre, and more. GQ, or Gentlemen’s Quarterly, part of the elite magazine empire, recently published a list of quality anticipated reads for the year. Sophie Kemp’s Paradise Logic is on it — my 2025’s top read, so far. Impatiently waiting for her friend Anika Jade Levy’s debut to be published called Flat Earth, out this November.
I am eternally grateful for Mom, for the gift of loving to read.
August 13, 2025
Better than candy for a journalism nerd. A super fun, deeply reported take on Conde Nast's heyday, full of holy shit anecdotes (Robert Gottleib's severance!) and a real understanding of what made these magazines and this company special.
August 17, 2025
Condé Nast is more than a name. It is a brand and influential trendsetter that made its presence known when publisher Condé Montrose Nast purchased the fashion magazine Vogue in 1909. Nast would add Vanity Fair and Glamour, along with a few other magazines, to his collection of publications. He was a believer in paying high prices to attract top talent to his companies.
Despite initial success, the stock market crash of 1929 whittled away at Nast’s fortune, and he passed away in 1942. Seventeen years later, the company was purchased by newspaper owner Samuel Newhouse Sr. Under the stewardship of his son, Samuel Jr. --- better known as Si --- the publishing empire of Condé Nast would leave a global imprint.
Si Newhouse liked to shepherd those who gravitated towards the limelight. While his brother, Donald, would stick with the newspaper business, Si saw potential in magazines such as Vogue. When he was named the chairman of Condé Nast in 1975, the company was set for a pivot that would change its fortunes for decades to come. The creation of the successful Self magazine in 1979 was just the beginning of its resurgence. The decision to revive Vanity Fair in the 1980s appeared to be a fool’s errand until the hiring of the talented go-getter Tina Brown in 1984.
The ’80s ushered in the rise of the yuppie culture, where having money wasn’t nearly as important as showing it off. The magazines under the Condé Nast umbrella were quick to highlight the trappings of wealth, whether it be on the covers of Vogue, Vanity Fair or House & Garden. Through his magazine empire, Si was selling the idea of wealth to those who aspired to be wealthy. Brown’s leadership at Vanity Fair yielded success while embracing the more titillating aspects of culture, such as celebrity and scandal. The magazine didn’t lose a step when Graydon Carter assumed Brown’s editorial position in 1992. Vogue achieved new heights of prominence under the guidance of fashion maven Anna Wintour.
The glitterati would adorn the inside and outside of many of Condé Nast’s magazines. Vogue and Vanity Fair raised their profile with the sponsorship of award shows and afterparties. While sales of many of the magazines soared, so did expenses as Condé Nast employees soaked in the affluent lifestyle of their subjects. However, the good times came with an expiration date as the internet age dawned and hefty magazines became cost prohibitive.
EMPIRE OF THE ELITE is a well-researched and eloquent study of the rise and wane of a powerful mass media company. The history of Condé Nast is infused with epic personalities, but author Michael M. Grynbaum focuses primarily on Si Newhouse, Tina Brown, Anna Wintour and Graydon Carter as all four factored heavily in the company’s successes and occasional setbacks. Grynbaum, a correspondent for The New York Times, has assembled the right ingredients (compelling individuals, pop culture, wealth) and delivered a penetrating view of a company and its indelible impact on the zeitgeist. It’s a winner from start to finish.
Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
Despite initial success, the stock market crash of 1929 whittled away at Nast’s fortune, and he passed away in 1942. Seventeen years later, the company was purchased by newspaper owner Samuel Newhouse Sr. Under the stewardship of his son, Samuel Jr. --- better known as Si --- the publishing empire of Condé Nast would leave a global imprint.
Si Newhouse liked to shepherd those who gravitated towards the limelight. While his brother, Donald, would stick with the newspaper business, Si saw potential in magazines such as Vogue. When he was named the chairman of Condé Nast in 1975, the company was set for a pivot that would change its fortunes for decades to come. The creation of the successful Self magazine in 1979 was just the beginning of its resurgence. The decision to revive Vanity Fair in the 1980s appeared to be a fool’s errand until the hiring of the talented go-getter Tina Brown in 1984.
The ’80s ushered in the rise of the yuppie culture, where having money wasn’t nearly as important as showing it off. The magazines under the Condé Nast umbrella were quick to highlight the trappings of wealth, whether it be on the covers of Vogue, Vanity Fair or House & Garden. Through his magazine empire, Si was selling the idea of wealth to those who aspired to be wealthy. Brown’s leadership at Vanity Fair yielded success while embracing the more titillating aspects of culture, such as celebrity and scandal. The magazine didn’t lose a step when Graydon Carter assumed Brown’s editorial position in 1992. Vogue achieved new heights of prominence under the guidance of fashion maven Anna Wintour.
The glitterati would adorn the inside and outside of many of Condé Nast’s magazines. Vogue and Vanity Fair raised their profile with the sponsorship of award shows and afterparties. While sales of many of the magazines soared, so did expenses as Condé Nast employees soaked in the affluent lifestyle of their subjects. However, the good times came with an expiration date as the internet age dawned and hefty magazines became cost prohibitive.
EMPIRE OF THE ELITE is a well-researched and eloquent study of the rise and wane of a powerful mass media company. The history of Condé Nast is infused with epic personalities, but author Michael M. Grynbaum focuses primarily on Si Newhouse, Tina Brown, Anna Wintour and Graydon Carter as all four factored heavily in the company’s successes and occasional setbacks. Grynbaum, a correspondent for The New York Times, has assembled the right ingredients (compelling individuals, pop culture, wealth) and delivered a penetrating view of a company and its indelible impact on the zeitgeist. It’s a winner from start to finish.
Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
August 24, 2025
Wow, did Empire of the Elite tank hard. This is what happens when high school dorks become writers because as adults they're perpetually wanting to sit at the cool kid's table and this book reads exactly like that. This book told me less about the nitty gritty culture of Conde Nast and more about Grynbaum, as it was painfully clear his penning this love letter was to either receive or keep his Hamptons dinner party invites flowing and was crafted precisely to Conde Nast’s glossy specifications.
I don’t usually dive into books like this, but a tantalizing excerpt in a friend’s New York Post (not my usual read, either) intrigued me. All I have to say is kudos to Grynbaum’s agent, who deserves every penny of their commission for spinning this fawning, lackluster slog into what seemed like juicy summer read. It's anything BUT. This book reads like a dry textbook on magazine origins, trudging through a lifeless timeline to the digital age. Total snooze. Someone like Danforth Prince should rewrite this with a real unfiltered exposé of the irrelevant publishers to reveal what really went down, not recycle the tired ‘social media ruined everything’ narrative. Grynbaum either skipped the research or cherry-picked details to stroke his own Vanity Fair ego.
The final page. Oh god the final page, where former New Yorker and Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown whines about the fall of ‘gatekeepers,’ is downright nauseating. She’s practically sobbing that she and her snooty NYC clique no longer get to anoint the chosen voices of culture. Boo-hoo. Newsflash: the playing field’s leveled, and creatives who’d never get a seat at your dinner parties now have a shot. Like, go away with this gross talk. I'm sorry that’s a tragedy for her elitist crowd, but a triumph for everyone else who doesn’t measure their worth by a month’s rent spent on a single meal.
The final paragraph that Anna Wintour remains (in light of the recent announcement that she's "stepping down") was satisfying. But again, Grynbaum gives her tongue bath about her global "influence" while skimming over the fact that she ousted French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt without any kind of story. I feel like that would've been an interesting bit to include, right?? But as I said, Grynbaum still wants to sit at the cool table.
Boring book about gross people written by this fucking guy.
I don’t usually dive into books like this, but a tantalizing excerpt in a friend’s New York Post (not my usual read, either) intrigued me. All I have to say is kudos to Grynbaum’s agent, who deserves every penny of their commission for spinning this fawning, lackluster slog into what seemed like juicy summer read. It's anything BUT. This book reads like a dry textbook on magazine origins, trudging through a lifeless timeline to the digital age. Total snooze. Someone like Danforth Prince should rewrite this with a real unfiltered exposé of the irrelevant publishers to reveal what really went down, not recycle the tired ‘social media ruined everything’ narrative. Grynbaum either skipped the research or cherry-picked details to stroke his own Vanity Fair ego.
The final page. Oh god the final page, where former New Yorker and Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown whines about the fall of ‘gatekeepers,’ is downright nauseating. She’s practically sobbing that she and her snooty NYC clique no longer get to anoint the chosen voices of culture. Boo-hoo. Newsflash: the playing field’s leveled, and creatives who’d never get a seat at your dinner parties now have a shot. Like, go away with this gross talk. I'm sorry that’s a tragedy for her elitist crowd, but a triumph for everyone else who doesn’t measure their worth by a month’s rent spent on a single meal.
The final paragraph that Anna Wintour remains (in light of the recent announcement that she's "stepping down") was satisfying. But again, Grynbaum gives her tongue bath about her global "influence" while skimming over the fact that she ousted French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt without any kind of story. I feel like that would've been an interesting bit to include, right?? But as I said, Grynbaum still wants to sit at the cool table.
Boring book about gross people written by this fucking guy.
October 12, 2025
Overall, a good read – I’d say it’s a Conde Nast style book about Conde Nast, by which I mean it’s light & gossipy, very concerned with the characters & culture & less so on the business. This is likely due to the information they could get, as Conde Nast did not provide information so It's built on interviews with previous employees. My biggest peeve was likely due to some structure issues – the book tries to bottle each magazine with it's famous characters into thematic chapters, but this costs it a smooth chronological flow.
It was interesting to read about the concept of high/low and how captured it was by the Vogue/Vanity Fair editors. “Making the sexy interesting and the interesting sexy”, it’s an interesting approach bringing intellectualism to the masses and gossip/tabloid to a more elevated crowd. The balancing act was an astute one.
The fact that the Conde Nast newspapers were essentially loss-leaders is fascinating, because of the outsized image they presented of the media industry. The idea of editors having wardrobe budgets and interest free loans for mortgages is jaw-dropping in today’s age.
The similarities to the TV industry are striking. The Print industry held it’s distribution moat that made it a cultural gatekeeper the same way cable/broadcast had with video. This meant they controlled the culture & the conversation. Failing to understand what the digital revolution (though the author gives a lot of time to all the individuals within the Conde Nast empire who tried to prepare Conde) would do its business, they got disrupted and displaced. The slow downward spiral is very reminiscent of what I've seen on the cable/broadcast side. The desire to preserve/maintain an incumbency leaves you highly vulnerable.
Interesting cultural zeitgeist of when excess & consumerism is applauded versus reviled. Decades where glamorizing the elite was widely enjoyed, then areas of pull-back which it seems like some of the Conde properties struggled to evolve with.
It was interesting to read about the concept of high/low and how captured it was by the Vogue/Vanity Fair editors. “Making the sexy interesting and the interesting sexy”, it’s an interesting approach bringing intellectualism to the masses and gossip/tabloid to a more elevated crowd. The balancing act was an astute one.
The fact that the Conde Nast newspapers were essentially loss-leaders is fascinating, because of the outsized image they presented of the media industry. The idea of editors having wardrobe budgets and interest free loans for mortgages is jaw-dropping in today’s age.
The similarities to the TV industry are striking. The Print industry held it’s distribution moat that made it a cultural gatekeeper the same way cable/broadcast had with video. This meant they controlled the culture & the conversation. Failing to understand what the digital revolution (though the author gives a lot of time to all the individuals within the Conde Nast empire who tried to prepare Conde) would do its business, they got disrupted and displaced. The slow downward spiral is very reminiscent of what I've seen on the cable/broadcast side. The desire to preserve/maintain an incumbency leaves you highly vulnerable.
Interesting cultural zeitgeist of when excess & consumerism is applauded versus reviled. Decades where glamorizing the elite was widely enjoyed, then areas of pull-back which it seems like some of the Conde properties struggled to evolve with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2025
Grynbaum charts the history of media dynasty Condé Nast and its influence on culture in this meticulously researched and dishy account. Based on the cover, we know we're going to get Tina Brown, Anna Wintour and Graydon Carter, Vogue, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker. We also get the story of Si Newhouse, the man with something to prove (to his media mogul father, of course), the publisher behind the meteoric rise of Condé Nast.
As an avid reader back in the day, I was excited to read about those glory days of Vanity Fair, when Tina Brown came in and blew up the place: Dominick Dunne's courtroom reporting, the Annie Leibovitz photographs, irreverent profiles, the elaborate spreads and pages and pages of high-end glossy ads. Those covers were legendary and we get the backstories, with all the sordid and extravagant details.
I wish there were pictures, but luckily we have the ability to look things up. And the internet's rise contributed to the downfall of Condé Nast as people move away from magazines and curated articles and went online, putting their own collections together. While the financial collapse of 2008 was on the horizon, Condé Nast was publishing a new 300+ page magazine, Portfolio, an over-the-top business magazine.
Empire of the Elite is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, a road filled with unlimited expense accounts, when the instruction was to "do it all grandly" and editors had total freedom.
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 7/15/2025)
As an avid reader back in the day, I was excited to read about those glory days of Vanity Fair, when Tina Brown came in and blew up the place: Dominick Dunne's courtroom reporting, the Annie Leibovitz photographs, irreverent profiles, the elaborate spreads and pages and pages of high-end glossy ads. Those covers were legendary and we get the backstories, with all the sordid and extravagant details.
I wish there were pictures, but luckily we have the ability to look things up. And the internet's rise contributed to the downfall of Condé Nast as people move away from magazines and curated articles and went online, putting their own collections together. While the financial collapse of 2008 was on the horizon, Condé Nast was publishing a new 300+ page magazine, Portfolio, an over-the-top business magazine.
Empire of the Elite is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, a road filled with unlimited expense accounts, when the instruction was to "do it all grandly" and editors had total freedom.
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 7/15/2025)
October 29, 2025
OH how long I had to wait to finally check out this audiobook from the Austin Public Library. There were probably a dozen people in the (digital) line before me, and another dozen people waiting to listen after I returned it. No doubt about it, the New Yorker, Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, and other Condé Nast holdings are something that people want to know about, however much these magazines might actually be descending in their influence. Given that the elevation of gossip as journalistic art form was crucial to the meteoric success of Condé Nast, I will not pretend to be above the gossip. Author Michael Grynbaum certainly captured my attention by connecting the dots between people such as Vogue and GQ publisher Ron Galotti, who was the inspiration for the Sex and the City character Mr. Big, or the long-time editor-in-chief of Vogue herself, Anna Wintour, and her fictional counterpart, Miranda Priestly of The Devil Wears Prada. But Grynbaum demonstrates his skill as a writer by getting me invested in the greater story of Condé Nast itself, its role in shaping the tastes of the east coast W.A.S.P. elite and the average dreamy suburbanite alike; its major transformation during the 1980s at the hands of people like British wunderkind Tina Brown; or its major players whose influence seems to vary inversely to their notoriety, such as S.I. Newhouse, heir to a massive newspaper fortune and mastermind of the Condé Nast that we know today, or Alex Liberman, Grace Mirabella, Diana Vreeland, and Graydon Carter. So in a book which could all too easily suffer from bloat, either from stuffing in an infamous episode like Annie Leibowitz's pregnant Demi Moore cover photo, or from veering off the rails every time a new editor stumbles onto the scene, Grynbaum presents a balanced narrative that even illuminates the occasional cultural pattern. There is enough evidence in this book to make up our own opinions, but Grynbaum challenges us to ask ourselves if, despite all the '80s capitalist excess and shallow consumerism that propelled Condé Nast to the top, there isn't something about shared media that we all dearly miss in our increasingly isolated social media algorithm-scapes? Among other arguments, I was struck by the fact that what allowed Condé Nast to be so successful on the creative side was the scion Newhouse's absolute lack of interest in the bottom line. Despite the temptation to lay on the nostalgic gloss, I think readers will find that Grynbaum carefully lays out a portrait of the company which will continue to be relevant and insightful for years to come, like a re-discovered magazine in the back of our closet that somehow feels like it could've been printed today.
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