Condé Nast: The Man and His Empire -- A Biography

by Susan Ronald

The first biography in over thirty years of Cond� Nast, the pioneering publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair and main rival to media magnate William Randolph Hearst.

Condé Nast's life and career was as high profile and glamourous as his magazines. Moving to New York in the early twentieth century with just the shirt on his back, he soon became the highest paid executive in the United States, acquiring Vogue in 1909 and Vanity Fair in 1913. Alongside his editors, Edna Woolman Chase at Vogue and Frank Crowninshield at Vanity Fair, he built the first-ever international magazine empire, introducing European modern art, style, and fashions to an American audience.

Credited with creating the "café society," Nast became a permanent fixture on the international fashion scene and a major figure in New York society. His superbly appointed apartment at 1040 Park Avenue, decorated by the legendary Elsie de Wolfe, became a gathering place for the major artistic figures of the time. Nast launched the careers of icons like Cecil Beaton, Clare Boothe Luce, Lee Miller, Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward. He left behind a legacy that endures today in media powerhouses such as Anna Wintour, Tina Brown, and Graydon Carter.

Written with the cooperation of his family on both sides of the Atlantic and a dedicated team at Condé Nast Publications, critically acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the life of an extraordinary American success story.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Business, Biography Memoir, Fashion, Historical, History

448 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2019

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conde Nast: The Man and His Empire- A Biography by Susan Ronald is a 2019 St. Martin’s Press publication.

It is hard to believe this is the first biography written about Conde Nast in over thirty years. I think many people may only associate his name with a brand and are either unaware of his history or have forgotten it was his hard work and foresight that influenced society within the pages of his magazine, both in the US and abroad, beginning in 1909, when he bought Vogue.



This is a comprehensive biography of Conde Nast and his vision, his influence on and his place in society. I found most of this history quite fascinating, especially as I am a huge fan of Vanity Fair magazine. The behind the scenes politics is pretty juicy stuff- sort of gossipy, if you will, and was all news to me, since it all took place way before my time.



Nast’s formidable competition was Randolph Hearst and the two warred it out for many years, with Conde holding his own quite nicely- until he hit a snag during the depression.

As engrossing as some of the power struggles, and clever business techniques could be, sections of the book were a bit dry and it was hard not to zone out or resist the urge to skim. The writing is thorough, maybe a bit too much, on occasion, but the author’s research stands out. While Conde Nast endured many personal and professional ups and downs, he is mostly portrayed in a positive light and author takes a soft approach with his life story.



This is an interesting biography which includes some little known, or thought of history, about the publishing business, and the way it evolved over time. Nast was smart, a hard worker, and didn’t abuse his wealth or power, but also made colossal missteps and suffered numerous health issues throughout his life.

If you are interested in publishing, history, or business, you might find this book intriguing. If you are a fan of Vogue or Vanity Fair- in particular- the influence and impressions Conde and his publications had on fashions and society, you will find this book of interest as well.

Although it is occasionally dry, the writing style keeps the pacing moving at a quick pace for a biography. I found it easy to read, despite so many names and events to keep track of.

Overall, the book is informative, interesting, and a compelling biography of Conde Nast- a visionary in the world of publishing.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating biography of the great magazine publisher, who was a surprisingly charming and elegant man. It goes into great detail about his tough childhood, driving ambition, wonderful ability to spot talent and his marriages. He also had a huge fight with Randolph Hearst, his main competition.

Interesting characters, such as the femme fatale Claire Booth Luce, Edna Chase and Carmel Snow also fill its pages. The story which I really liked was how ambitious creative people had to meet Conde Nast by invitation or accidentally to get anywhere. Elizabeth Miller spotted him one day and he saved her from a traffic accident. She fainted in his arms and babbled uncontrollably when she came to, and he immediately saw that she epitomized the 'Modern Look'. Elizabeth Miller became... the famous war photographer Lee Miller.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Ronald did an incredible job composing a phenomenal book about the life of the publishing magnate Conde Nast, the founder of Vogue, Glamour, Conde Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, and many more of the world's best-known magazines.

The book begins with the Nast family's story, origin, and background. Very early in the book, we find out that Conde has come from a broken family, however, it never reflected on his character. Opposite to his father, he remained close with his family, children, and ex-wives.

From the book's first pages, Conde's character shows affection to the circle of his friends and partners, dedication, fearfulness, honor, and strong will. He has never forgotten where he came from and the people who helped him succeed. Although, he was equitable with his frenemies and competitors.

It was fascinating to read about the way Conde has built and extended his publishing empire. He is an excellent example of a man who has been knocked down in personal and business lives; however, no matter how hard the hit was - Conde always found ways to get back up. I'm fascinated by his life and accomplishments.

Thank you, Susan Ronald, for a remarkable story and introduction to the life of the world's famous publishing mogul. And big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press publishing for a free and advanced copy of the book.

[James Junke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly a fan of Conde Nast. Well researched. Organized chronologically. Some of the prose was awkwardly worded and tighter editing would have avoided some repetition. His business success is only explained superficially. So his apparent acumen did not apparently extend to business finance or the stock market. But he comes across as a person of integrity in a business rife with egocentric, ruthless individuals. Lots of fascinating history.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the strivers, the society page readers, the style setters - this is THE book. An "Encyclopedia of How to Know Everything in Vogue". I came away realizing you had to really care about taste and style and sophistication (the latter if only casually) and I could not put it down. And by "in Vogue" means a specific history of everything 'in vogue' from the first issue in 1917. And even in its concept, because you cannot know what's "in vogue" unless you are in its midst, Conde Nast enabled, or conjured or created - in my estimation -the 20th century of fashion - le dernier cri, must wears, and every facet of high fashion we have to look back on and emulate. What was a "yes" and what was a "never". The designers, the artists, the perfumers, the modistes, the jewelers, the 'labels', the catwalk and even the super model concept. His eye, his tastes, his savvy and his appreciation of women's attire was almost beyond belief. It was a course in style and its fashions for the 20th century. Reading the book requires a sturdy broom and dustpan for the names dropped. Names and more names and who and how and why. His discoveries, the talent, the household names we use in getting some insight to the 'ladies who lunch' and this all falls into a backdrop of why we love it so. And, praises be, there is an index, footnote/citations, names to know and and how he rode out the ups and downs of finances through wars and peace. The people he made household words. And for me, it was 'fill in the blanks" of things I didn't know or even think existed. ( And of course I thought I did). If you are a fashionista, shopper, buyer, seller, writer, or just an avenue stroller - you must read this book. I picked it up because his name was always exotic to me and I wondered if it was real name or a corporate one. To my delight, it was the real name of a real person; a genius and a person who created the careers and reputations of so many, too many to list. And as it turns out Conde Nast was a good and kind and nice man. Rich but generous, informed but not snide, beloved by so many. The entire group of Conde Nast publications, of every magazine title he created and nurtured, shine and delight. Please read this book.

(And I left out the exhaustive work Susan Ronald did to create this magnificent title. The research, the effort and the perfect tone in her perfect telling of this man's life. It is hard for me to say enough about her tenacity and deeply done research. She presents us with every and all phases and facets of Nast's life and his amazing magazines. Please read this book.

[Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is very readable (if my eyes glazed over when it was time to discuss prices and stocks, that's on me) but, while I don't think it is possible or necessary to write a perfectly impartial biography, it felt like this one sided way too much with Nast.

Throughout this biography, it seems like his main flaw was that he trusted too much in other people's bad advice, and moments in which he erred are portrayed as oddities and not really explored in depth. While Edna Chase /was/ the villain in the stories of some Vogue contributors and editors, the author presents events in a way that fully blames her and her personality while absolving Nast.

I was particularly annoyed by the statement that Nast, and Vogue, were accepting of all sexual orientations. Sure, their commissions and contacts suggest that. But when British Vogue editor Dorothy Todd was fired, Nast and Chase refused to pay her due compensation and threatened to out her if she insisted! This biography mentions this, but neglects to explore it and never brings it up again. Even if this was truly a grossly out-of-character moment, surely it must be reconciled with the person that did it or at least looked aside knowing what was happening? It also glosses over other instances in which staff were fired in similarly shady ways, and takes Nast's judgement of events (Carmel Snow's DISHONOURABLE BETRAYAL) at face value.

So yes, take a look if you are interested in Vogue, Vanity Fair or press history as a whole - Nast was an interesting character, and he was surrounded by all sorts of talented eccentrics and workaholics, so you'll probably want to follow some threads up. But this would have benefitted from a more critical approach, and it needs to be balanced by other perspectives and accounts.

[John Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have seen this name at various times without knowing who or what it meant. I'm not sure why I picked this up as I have never read Vogue or Vanity Fair. The man did obviously have an interesting life, and made his mark on magazine publishing. I recently watched a movie about the journalist Lee Miller, who worked with Vogue in Britain. I slogged my way through this in a dozen sittings, usually to take a break from other projects. Although parts were very interesting, other parts were extremely superficial. There's a lot of name dropping, and many of these minor characters had little relevance to the subject matter. It's a little bit similar with the photos, although certainly I applaud their inclusion.
I suppose it is not unusual for a biography to be favourable to the subject, and this certainly was. It's clear, though, that Nast had maybe a little too much going on to keep his eye on parts of the business. His morals could perhaps have been questioned a little more.
He seemed to have the ability to make friends and be kind to people, but maybe he was a little bit innocent, allowing himself to be defrauded by a financier "friend".
It was a bit of fun to read about Nast's rivalry with WR Hearst, the media baron, and how he sometimes managed to rack up a win, or maybe a draw.
I'm not sorry I read this, but it's not worth a huge rating.
Rating 2.8.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read about the live of a man who ran an empire of magazines. He came from humble beginnings, was a very caring, truthful man. And when he died he was penniless. He had 2 marriages - again very caring in them. This is an interesting story of the 1920-30's, WWI and WWII, the depression and the effects of it on the rich.
The interesting challenges of running the empire of Conde Nast and the works behind the scene, the actions of those who want to be in charge or always on the good side of the boss. He was careful in who he chose but there are interesting facts that come out and make you not so sure about some of them. For instance Clare Boothe Brokaw (later Clare Boothe Luce) who comes across as the someone I would not like for a boss. The tenures of the editors is interesting.
He cared about his children and missed out on their growing up and later did regret that - he always cared for them.
Shortly before I read this, I watched a presentation by the author on a channel that presents books. It
was interesting and I am glad I had that opportunity.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this light-hearted and “gossipy” biography of Condé Nast, the renowned publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair. It’s well-researched, as all Ronald’s biographies are, and rattles along at a good pace. Nast was an interesting man, who, along with his rival William Randolph Hearst, was enormously influential in American magazine publishing, and I found it fascinating discovering how his media empire grew. He remains, nonetheless, a somewhat shadowy figure, not least because he didn’t seek the limelight, but he had a wide and varied social circle which included many of the great and the good of American, indeed world, society – from Dorothy Parker to Truman Capote to Coco Chanel – and they all come alive in the pages of this entertaining and informative book.

[Kimberly Brooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

While Condé Nast is fascinating and led a very interesting life, this book was t e r r i b l e! It's as if the author took her index cards full of notes, threw them together randomly, sometimes repeating them, then sprinkled in WAY too many words like "of course," "however," "nonetheless" (usually used incorrectly). The sentences were awkward and a lot of the foot notes were useless (do I really need to know how tall everybody is? What does that add to the story?) or had nothing to do with the sentence she wrote. Condé deserves better, especially since this is only the second biography written on him.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Packed with information but a slog to read. "Conde Nast" is the second biography authored by Susan Roland that I have read. She is a diligent researcher and I came away both times knowing far more about interesting people and the eras in which they lived than I knew before, but acquiring the knowledge is far too hard work. She lacks the finesse to spin a good story, substituting asides and piling on facts and dropping names for vivid story-telling. Too bad for the reader who would like to know what she has found out about her subjects.

[Sevelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly detailed, painstaking researched portrait of the world’s most famous and successful media tycoons who built a storied, namesake empire that to this day remains associated with style, wit, class, and the high life. The biography includes a cast of thousands, including Nazi sympathizer Chanel and anti-Semite Cecil Beaton—one survived, the other’s career imploded. Condé Nast’s climb to the top during several of the most dazzling decades in human history makes for a bit of a slog in parts, but just imagine losing $10,000 a day during the Crash. There’s plenty here to keep you reading.

[LillyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, solid, readable biography about a man whose name I instantly recognized but knew absolutely nothing about. There are lots of entertaining stories about Vogue and Harper's Bazaar in the 1920s, which were the most fascinating to me. Nothing shocking or flashy here, but it's a very respectable biography that presents a life in a clean, logical way.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A litte dry like other reviewers have noted but all in all a good memoir. I think we sometimes forget there is a person behind Conde Nast. We think of Conde Nast more as a thing than a person. If you like memoirs, you'll like this.

[Tina Panik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched, interesting look at the man responsible for selling consumers high-end lifestyles before they knew they wanted them. The arc of Nast’s life spans an accelerated time in American history; the two complement each other.

[Patt Keehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched look at an interesting pioneer of American publishing.

[Raidene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biography of the man who built an empire with such titles as Vanity Fair, Vogue, House and Garden among others. Too much minutiae left me unable to finish.

[Ruben M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing story about a man the world knew little about. He was a true influencer!

[Fradele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning about the times the people and a great man

[readingwithsarahh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally do not read biography but I was very entertained while reading about Condé’s life and business!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great biography. Enjoyed the read a lot.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complex man who created an amazing legacy. Well written and researched life. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

[Angelee Tango · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting history on the magazine and person. can be dry at times, but overall a good book

[Gerald Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd heard the name but never knew anything about him. An excellent biography of the man and his impact on the publishing industry.

[Sonia Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched but a slog to read. Too many footnotes I didn’t bother to read. I learned some things but she lacks the finesse to tell a good tale.

[Rather.be.reading1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love memoirs and learning about successful people, but this was a little dry. Nevertheless, it was a great story and learning about the media icon.

[Pupperino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good