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All That Glitters: Anna Wintour, Tina Brown, and the Rivalry Inside America's Richest Media Empire
From journalist, bestselling author, and producer of the hit television series Masters of Sex , comes the true s tory of the intrigue and infighting during the glory days of Condé Nast magazines and Anna Wintour, S. I. Newhouse Jr., and Tina Brown.
Inside the Condé Nast magazine world run by billionaire S. I. Newhouse Jr., Anna Wintour and Tina Brown were bold and talented British women who fought their way to the top of this male-dominated American industry driven by greed and betrayal.
At Vogue Wintour became an icon of fashion and New York’s high society, while Brown at Vanity Fair helped define the intersection of literary culture and Hollywood celebrity. They jockeyed for power in the hypercompetitive “off with their heads” atmosphere set up by Newhouse and his longtime creative guru Alex Liberman, two men who for years controlled the glossy Condé Nast magazines that dictated how women should look, dress, and feel.
In turning this world upside down, Wintour and Brown challenged the old rules and made Newhouse’s company internationally famous. Ultimately, one of them won in their fascinating struggle for fame and fortune during the height of New York’s gilded age of print—a time before the internet, before 9/11, when the Reagans ruled the White House and Donald Trump was a mere local developer featured on the cover of Newhouse’s publications. This book traces the careers of Wintour and Brown and shows how they and the Condé Nast media empire were major media enablers in the rise of Donald Trump and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
At its heart, All That Glitters is a parable about the changes in America’s media, where corruption and easy compromises are sprinkled with glitter, power, and glory. Originally titled Newhouse , this revised and updated edition, with a new introduction and afterword, won the 1994 Frank Luther Mott Award for best researched media book of the year.
Inside the Condé Nast magazine world run by billionaire S. I. Newhouse Jr., Anna Wintour and Tina Brown were bold and talented British women who fought their way to the top of this male-dominated American industry driven by greed and betrayal.
At Vogue Wintour became an icon of fashion and New York’s high society, while Brown at Vanity Fair helped define the intersection of literary culture and Hollywood celebrity. They jockeyed for power in the hypercompetitive “off with their heads” atmosphere set up by Newhouse and his longtime creative guru Alex Liberman, two men who for years controlled the glossy Condé Nast magazines that dictated how women should look, dress, and feel.
In turning this world upside down, Wintour and Brown challenged the old rules and made Newhouse’s company internationally famous. Ultimately, one of them won in their fascinating struggle for fame and fortune during the height of New York’s gilded age of print—a time before the internet, before 9/11, when the Reagans ruled the White House and Donald Trump was a mere local developer featured on the cover of Newhouse’s publications. This book traces the careers of Wintour and Brown and shows how they and the Condé Nast media empire were major media enablers in the rise of Donald Trump and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
At its heart, All That Glitters is a parable about the changes in America’s media, where corruption and easy compromises are sprinkled with glitter, power, and glory. Originally titled Newhouse , this revised and updated edition, with a new introduction and afterword, won the 1994 Frank Luther Mott Award for best researched media book of the year.
- GenresBiography
296 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2019
97 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Maier
24 books52 followersThomas Maier is the author of "MAFIA SPIES", the non-fiction spy thriller/murder mystery of how the CIA recruited two American mobsters to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro during the Cold War, with themes very timely to today's Trump era. In a starred review, Booklist called MAFIA SPIES "enormously fun...succeeds brilliantly." Maier's previous 2014 book "WHEN LIONS ROAR: The Churchills and the Kennedys," published by Random House's Crown imprint. He is also the author and a producer of "MASTERS OF SEX", the Showtime series based on his book of the same name, which tells the story of researchers Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson. His other books include: "The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings, which was adapted for Warner Home Video DVD, and the critically acclaimed Dr. Spock: An American Life, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1999. His 1994 "Newhouse: All The Glitter, Power and Glory of America's Richest Media Empire And the Secretive Man Behind It", is currently being developed by Sony Pictures Television. Maier is a special writer at Newsday and won numerous national awards. He lives in Long Island, New York.
www.thomasmaierbooks.com
www.thomasmaierbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 25, 2019
3.5 stars
It's important to note this book is an updated version of the author's 1994 book, Newhouse: All The Glitter, Power and Glory of America's Richest Media Empire and the Secretive Man Behind It. Condé Nast is an American media company behind such magazines as Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, and The New Yorker. Samuel I. Newhouse bought the company in 1959 and in the 1970s his son, Si, became chairman. The book mostly centers on everything going on at Vogue and Vanity Fair during the 1980s and early 90s when Anna Wintour and Tina Brown both were experiencing success at running those magazines. A good history of the Newhouse family is also provided as well as an updated look at some of the key players working for the company as well as two men, President Trump and Harvey Weinstein, who seemed to benefit quite nicely with their cozy relationships with some influential people in media.
I'll admit I was initially drawn to the book just based on the Anna Wintour stuff and I was pleasantly surprised the author presented her as someone who is a good businesswoman rather than only focusing on her reputation as an ice queen. I didn't know much about Tina Brown prior to reading this but it was interesting learning about the highs and lows of her career. Supposedly this book is being developed into a television series and I assume their professional rivalry will be a key part of the plot.
Donald Trump's book, The Art of the Deal, was a bestseller and is what launched him into household name status.. Si Newhouse is the one who persuaded Trump to come out with a book and Trump was featured quite often in Condé Nast publications. There were some fascinating decades old quotes about Trump in the book that are pretty spot on and relevant today. He was buddy-buddy with many of the people featured in this book but most have distanced themselves from him or flat out denounced him since he ran for office.
A good behind the scenes look at the world of publishing, particularly at Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines. I haven't read the previous version of this book , but in my opinion the post 1994 material added isn't all that substantial so if you've read the other book, I wouldn't rush out and buy this one. However, if you don't know much about the whole Condé Nast empire and are interested in the topic, I definitely recommend taking a look at this book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
It's important to note this book is an updated version of the author's 1994 book, Newhouse: All The Glitter, Power and Glory of America's Richest Media Empire and the Secretive Man Behind It. Condé Nast is an American media company behind such magazines as Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, and The New Yorker. Samuel I. Newhouse bought the company in 1959 and in the 1970s his son, Si, became chairman. The book mostly centers on everything going on at Vogue and Vanity Fair during the 1980s and early 90s when Anna Wintour and Tina Brown both were experiencing success at running those magazines. A good history of the Newhouse family is also provided as well as an updated look at some of the key players working for the company as well as two men, President Trump and Harvey Weinstein, who seemed to benefit quite nicely with their cozy relationships with some influential people in media.
I'll admit I was initially drawn to the book just based on the Anna Wintour stuff and I was pleasantly surprised the author presented her as someone who is a good businesswoman rather than only focusing on her reputation as an ice queen. I didn't know much about Tina Brown prior to reading this but it was interesting learning about the highs and lows of her career. Supposedly this book is being developed into a television series and I assume their professional rivalry will be a key part of the plot.
Donald Trump's book, The Art of the Deal, was a bestseller and is what launched him into household name status.. Si Newhouse is the one who persuaded Trump to come out with a book and Trump was featured quite often in Condé Nast publications. There were some fascinating decades old quotes about Trump in the book that are pretty spot on and relevant today. He was buddy-buddy with many of the people featured in this book but most have distanced themselves from him or flat out denounced him since he ran for office.
A good behind the scenes look at the world of publishing, particularly at Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines. I haven't read the previous version of this book , but in my opinion the post 1994 material added isn't all that substantial so if you've read the other book, I wouldn't rush out and buy this one. However, if you don't know much about the whole Condé Nast empire and are interested in the topic, I definitely recommend taking a look at this book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
June 1, 2019
Engaging and fascinating, a look behind the scenes , where not everything is glamour , beautiful people , glitter and champagne cocktails.
Backstabbing , at times just plain nasty with more intrigue than the court of Versaille during Le Roi Soleil era , All That Glitters is a well researched and entertaining read.
Reviewed All That Glitters by Thomas Maier. #NetGalley
Backstabbing , at times just plain nasty with more intrigue than the court of Versaille during Le Roi Soleil era , All That Glitters is a well researched and entertaining read.
Reviewed All That Glitters by Thomas Maier. #NetGalley
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October 8, 2019I think this was a little too long, and that the "catfight" trope is a little tired in 2019. But aside from that, this was an interesting look at media and celebrity over the last few decades through looking at the Newhouse family and Conde Nast.
December 15, 2019
I really enjoyed this story of two ambitious British women, Anna Wintour and Tina Brown, who made it right to the top in the male-dominated world of American magazine publishing. This is a re-issued and updated version of Maier’s earlier 1994 book entitled “Newhouse: All the Glitter, Power and Glory of America’s Richest Media Empire and the Secretive Man Behind It”. Whether much – or indeed any – new material is presented here, I can’t tell, but whatever the case I found it a fascinating and enlightening behind-the-scenes account of high-end magazine publishing and an equally fascinating glimpse into the lives of these two women and the people who were and are part of their circle – including Trump and Weinstein. It’s certainly a fun read, with many anecdotes and much gossip, but at the same time it’s a well-researched, engagingly written and serious exploration of celebrity culture, the media and its power and the people who inhabit this outwardly glamourous but ruthless and driven world.
May 18, 2020
This recent edition is an update of the original and includes how both Brown and Wintour were connected to Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump. The book is full of delicious details on the machinations behind the scenes at Conde Nast. The rivalry is in some ways the least interesting part of the book. What is more fascinating is the constant machinations that extended far beyond Brown and Wintour and the overall cataloging of a world that now seems quaintly frivolous. While Vogue, the New Yorker, and Vanity Fair are still publishing their roles as the ultimate tastemakers are fading, eclipsed in many ways by online media.
September 24, 2019
OK, it was nice to relive the 80s and 90s again (the best clothes decades in ages, at least for me!). I got a bit bored with the author trying to force a Machiavellian theory to the whole she-bang though. He even quoted the theme of Machiavelli twice, word for word, in case you didn't get it the first time.
April 26, 2021
This is an update of the original book, with additional information on Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump. It also gives more space to the rivalry between Tina Brown and Anna Wintour. It was well researched and well written, but I feel like, even with new material, it had a been there done that sense.It was good, but nothing new.
July 4, 2019
A fascinating, engaging and fun read. I learned some new things, enjoyed reading about facts and rivalries.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
August 1, 2019
Fascinating look into celebrity culture, power and the media.
I'm always fascinated by the stories of women, and in particular women who define our world. Anna Wintour is the definition of such a woman and to see her in such detail was empowering and enlightening.
I'm always fascinated by the stories of women, and in particular women who define our world. Anna Wintour is the definition of such a woman and to see her in such detail was empowering and enlightening.
March 17, 2020
This was an interesting read about two powerful women but the book does come across as a little dated. Obviously Anna Wintour is the name that jumped out at me due to the connection with the movie that came out a bit ago. Very interesting rivalry between the two that kept the pages turning!
February 24, 2025
I'm not overly interested in the world of Conde-Naste so did find this a little to detailed for me. It's not really about Anna and Tina, more about Si Newhouse. Still interesting to once again see the power that the media wield.
June 24, 2019
Great insight into the rivalry and careers of two powerhouse women in the magazine and fashion industries. An enthralling read.
November 29, 2020
Kindle: too national enquirer like.
January 30, 2020
All That Glitters is an updated version of the author's 1994 book, Newhouse: All The Glitter, Power and Glory of America's Richest Media Empire and the Secretive Man Behind It.
When you know this, the whole thing makes so much sense. I was expected to be reading a story about Anna Wintour and Tina Brown, but only a small part of the book was devoted to that. Most of it was devoted to Newhouse and how he build his media empire. It's still a fascinating story, just not the one I wanted to read.
But I still learned a lot about Anna and Tina. Rather than an ice queen, Anna Wintour comes across as a smart business woman, while Tina Brown is a media genius who could read the pulse of her time and save one of America's most-loved magazines.
If you've read the original book, you won't find much new on this updated version. For everyone else, this book provides a fascinating sneak peek in the world of publishing and what really goes on behind the scenes.
When you know this, the whole thing makes so much sense. I was expected to be reading a story about Anna Wintour and Tina Brown, but only a small part of the book was devoted to that. Most of it was devoted to Newhouse and how he build his media empire. It's still a fascinating story, just not the one I wanted to read.
But I still learned a lot about Anna and Tina. Rather than an ice queen, Anna Wintour comes across as a smart business woman, while Tina Brown is a media genius who could read the pulse of her time and save one of America's most-loved magazines.
If you've read the original book, you won't find much new on this updated version. For everyone else, this book provides a fascinating sneak peek in the world of publishing and what really goes on behind the scenes.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews