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When the Going Was Good: An Editor's..., Graydon Carter
US $23.99
ApproximatelyAU $36.89
Condition:
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A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.
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- Buy It NowWhen the Going Was Good: An Editor's..., Graydon Carter
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Located in: Montgomery Illinois, United States
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eBay item number:317050938986
Item specifics
- Condition
- Book Title
- When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Las...
- ISBN
- 0593655907
- EAN
- 9780593655900
- Release Title
- When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Las...
- Artist
- Graydon Carter
- Brand
- N/A
- Colour
- N/A
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0593655907
ISBN-13
9780593655900
eBay Product ID (ePID)
25071308025
Product Key Features
Number of Pages
432 Pages
Publication Name
When the Going Was Good : an Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines
Language
English
Subject
Editors, Journalists, Publishers, Publishing, Personal Memoirs, Popular Culture, Journalism
Publication Year
2025
Type
Textbook
Subject Area
Language Arts & Disciplines, Social Science, Biography & Autobiography
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1.4 in
Item Weight
24.2 Oz
Item Length
9.5 in
Item Width
6.4 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2024-035644
Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
"Carter, a former editor of Spy , the New York Observer , and Vanity Fair , has been held up over the years as a force of style, both in his personal taste and in his expansive vision of creative work, which grew from his editorial experiences during a prosperous and thrilling era in American magazines. This winsome memoir is a recounting of that period, brisk, bright, and full of well-told anecdotes about celebrities, artists, and other power players in Carter''s orbit." -- The New Yorker "I quickly . . . consumed it. The journalism stories and the character analysis, as Elizabeth Hardwick liked to call gossip, are first-rate." --Dwight Garner, New York Times Book Review "When the Going Was Good is catnip for those of us still addicted to magazines." --LA Times "Scintillating . . . This highly entertaining book has a good story on every page." --The Daily Mail "Canadian journalist Graydon Carter learned the ropes at Time and Life before co-founding the magazine Spy . But he''s best known for his work as editor of Vanity Fair between 1992 and 2017, the period that dominates his breezy memoir. There''s Hollywood gossip, score-settling and tales from the era of limitless editorial budgets." -- Monocle "Carter''s wry tone and hard-won insights make this a must-read for aspiring journalists and those who lived through the good old days of print magazines. It''s a blast." -- Publishers Weekly "Carter chronicles the industry and its people with deep love and affection, and it''s a story of discovering one''s passion, persistence, and undeniably being in the right place at the right time . . . An engaging book for lovers of glossy magazines and the people who make them." --Library Journal "[A] rollicking memoir and heartfelt paean to the big, glossy, influential magazines of yore . . . Carter''s zestful accounts of his editorial visions and their implementation are fascinating, as are his vivid profiles of writers, photographers, and Hollywood stars. Carter''s delight in the chaos, effort, stress, and exhilaration of his editorships generate the effervescence and depth of this enthusiastically detailed chronicle." --Booklist Advance Praise: "A page-turning, bighearted, self-knowing, anecdote-rich and often screechingly funny record of a life lived to the full. A great memoir by one of the great editors--and characters--of our time." --Christopher Buckley "A splendidly written and warmhearted handbook for how to live, for how to be a friend and a leader and a parent and a partner and a dining companion that gets invited back, and it''s precisely the sort of book that makes one a better person after reading it. Everybody under the age of 40 should read this masterwork so that we might collectively bring back that golden age, and everybody over 40 should read it and summarily wave their handkerchiefs in admirable surrender." --Lisa Taddeo "A tour de force--informative, insightful, droll, and delightful. I am overwhelmed by When the Going Was Good." -- Gay Talese "There is so much to savour in this enormously enjoyable memoir, but it''s the Vanity Fair chapters--an indispensable ''how-to'' edit a magazine, host a party, curate a dinner, and inspire a legendary stable of writers--that form the centrepiece and highlight of this fascinating ride. You emerge from this enormously enjoyable memoir with the feeling of having just left an unforgettable party." --Peter Morgan "What a great read--but it had a downside. It served to remind me how unexciting, unremarkable, and uninteresting I am, especially compared to this Carter fellow, the charming, colorful, raconteur that he is. As Leon once said to me in a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm , ''That mothafucka lived a life!" --Larry David, "Carter's wry tone and hard-won insights make this a must-read for aspiring journalists and those who lived through the good old days of print magazines. It's a blast." -- Publishers Weekly "Carter chronicles the industry and its people with deep love and affection, and it's a story of discovering one's passion, persistence, and undeniably being in the right place at the right time . . . An engaging book for lovers of glossy magazines and the people who make them." --Library Journal "[A] rollicking memoir and heartfelt paean to the big, glossy, influential magazines of yore . . . Carter's zestful accounts of his editorial visions and their implementation are fascinating, as are his vivid profiles of writers, photographers, and Hollywood stars. Carter's delight in the chaos, effort, stress, and exhilaration of his editorships generate the effervescence and depth of this enthusiastically detailed chronicle." --Booklist Advance Praise: "A page-turning, bighearted, self-knowing, anecdote-rich and often screechingly funny record of a life lived to the full. A great memoir by one of the great editors--and characters--of our time." --Christopher Buckley "A splendidly written and warmhearted handbook for how to live, for how to be a friend and a leader and a parent and a partner and a dining companion that gets invited back, and it's precisely the sort of book that makes one a better person after reading it. Everybody under the age of 40 should read this masterwork so that we might collectively bring back that golden age, and everybody over 40 should read it and summarily wave their handkerchiefs in admirable surrender." --Lisa Taddeo "A tour de force--informative, insightful, droll, and delightful. I am overwhelmed by When the Going Was Good." -- Gay Talese "There is so much to savour in this enormously enjoyable memoir, but it's the Vanity Fair chapters--an indispensable 'how-to' edit a magazine, host a party, curate a dinner, and inspire a legendary stable of writers--that form the centrepiece and highlight of this fascinating ride. You emerge from this enormously enjoyable memoir with the feeling of having just left an unforgettable party." --Peter Morgan "What a great read--but it had a downside. It served to remind me how unexciting, unremarkable, and uninteresting I am, especially compared to this Carter fellow, the charming, colorful, raconteur that he is. As Leon once said to me in a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm , 'That mothafucka lived a life!" --Larry David, Advance Praise: "A page-turning, bighearted, self-knowing, anecdote-rich and often screechingly funny record of a life lived to the full. A great memoir by one of the great editors--and characters--of our time." --Christopher Buckley "A splendidly written and warmhearted handbook for how to live, for how to be a friend and a leader and a parent and a partner and a dining companion that gets invited back, and it's precisely the sort of book that makes one a better person after reading it. Everybody under the age of 40 should read this masterwork so that we might collectively bring back that golden age, and everybody over 40 should read it and summarily wave their handkerchiefs in admirable surrender." --Lisa Taddeo "A tour de force--informative, insightful, droll, and delightful. I am overwhelmed by When the Going Was Good." -- Gay Talese "There is so much to savour in this enormously enjoyable memoir, but it's the Vanity Fair chapters--an indispensable 'how-to' edit a magazine, host a party, curate a dinner, and inspire a legendary stable of writers--that form the centrepiece and highlight of this fascinating ride. You emerge from this enormously enjoyable memoir with the feeling of having just left an unforgettable party." --Peter Morgan "What a great read--but it had a downside. It served to remind me how unexciting, unremarkable, and uninteresting I am, especially compared to this Carter fellow, the charming, colorful, raconteur that he is. As Leon once said to me in a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm , 'That mothafucka lived a life!" --Larry David, "Carter's wry tone and hard-won insights make this a must-read for aspiring journalists and those who lived through the good old days of print magazines. It's a blast." -- Publishers Weekly Advance Praise: "A page-turning, bighearted, self-knowing, anecdote-rich and often screechingly funny record of a life lived to the full. A great memoir by one of the great editors--and characters--of our time." --Christopher Buckley "A splendidly written and warmhearted handbook for how to live, for how to be a friend and a leader and a parent and a partner and a dining companion that gets invited back, and it's precisely the sort of book that makes one a better person after reading it. Everybody under the age of 40 should read this masterwork so that we might collectively bring back that golden age, and everybody over 40 should read it and summarily wave their handkerchiefs in admirable surrender." --Lisa Taddeo "A tour de force--informative, insightful, droll, and delightful. I am overwhelmed by When the Going Was Good." -- Gay Talese "There is so much to savour in this enormously enjoyable memoir, but it's the Vanity Fair chapters--an indispensable 'how-to' edit a magazine, host a party, curate a dinner, and inspire a legendary stable of writers--that form the centrepiece and highlight of this fascinating ride. You emerge from this enormously enjoyable memoir with the feeling of having just left an unforgettable party." --Peter Morgan "What a great read--but it had a downside. It served to remind me how unexciting, unremarkable, and uninteresting I am, especially compared to this Carter fellow, the charming, colorful, raconteur that he is. As Leon once said to me in a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm , 'That mothafucka lived a life!" --Larry David, "Canadian journalist Graydon Carter learned the ropes at Time and Life before co-founding the magazine Spy . But he's best known for his work as editor of Vanity Fair between 1992 and 2017, the period that dominates his breezy memoir. There's Hollywood gossip, score-settling and tales from the era of limitless editorial budgets." -- Monocle "Carter's wry tone and hard-won insights make this a must-read for aspiring journalists and those who lived through the good old days of print magazines. It's a blast." -- Publishers Weekly "Carter chronicles the industry and its people with deep love and affection, and it's a story of discovering one's passion, persistence, and undeniably being in the right place at the right time . . . An engaging book for lovers of glossy magazines and the people who make them." --Library Journal "[A] rollicking memoir and heartfelt paean to the big, glossy, influential magazines of yore . . . Carter's zestful accounts of his editorial visions and their implementation are fascinating, as are his vivid profiles of writers, photographers, and Hollywood stars. Carter's delight in the chaos, effort, stress, and exhilaration of his editorships generate the effervescence and depth of this enthusiastically detailed chronicle." --Booklist Advance Praise: "A page-turning, bighearted, self-knowing, anecdote-rich and often screechingly funny record of a life lived to the full. A great memoir by one of the great editors--and characters--of our time." --Christopher Buckley "A splendidly written and warmhearted handbook for how to live, for how to be a friend and a leader and a parent and a partner and a dining companion that gets invited back, and it's precisely the sort of book that makes one a better person after reading it. Everybody under the age of 40 should read this masterwork so that we might collectively bring back that golden age, and everybody over 40 should read it and summarily wave their handkerchiefs in admirable surrender." --Lisa Taddeo "A tour de force--informative, insightful, droll, and delightful. I am overwhelmed by When the Going Was Good." -- Gay Talese "There is so much to savour in this enormously enjoyable memoir, but it's the Vanity Fair chapters--an indispensable 'how-to' edit a magazine, host a party, curate a dinner, and inspire a legendary stable of writers--that form the centrepiece and highlight of this fascinating ride. You emerge from this enormously enjoyable memoir with the feeling of having just left an unforgettable party." --Peter Morgan "What a great read--but it had a downside. It served to remind me how unexciting, unremarkable, and uninteresting I am, especially compared to this Carter fellow, the charming, colorful, raconteur that he is. As Leon once said to me in a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm , 'That mothafucka lived a life!" --Larry David, "I quickly and (mostly) happily consumed it anyway. The journalism stories and the character analysis, as Elizabeth Hardwick liked to call gossip, are first-rate." --Dwight Garner, New York Times Book Review "Canadian journalist Graydon Carter learned the ropes at Time and Life before co-founding the magazine Spy . But he's best known for his work as editor of Vanity Fair between 1992 and 2017, the period that dominates his breezy memoir. There's Hollywood gossip, score-settling and tales from the era of limitless editorial budgets." -- Monocle "Carter's wry tone and hard-won insights make this a must-read for aspiring journalists and those who lived through the good old days of print magazines. It's a blast." -- Publishers Weekly "Carter chronicles the industry and its people with deep love and affection, and it's a story of discovering one's passion, persistence, and undeniably being in the right place at the right time . . . An engaging book for lovers of glossy magazines and the people who make them." --Library Journal "[A] rollicking memoir and heartfelt paean to the big, glossy, influential magazines of yore . . . Carter's zestful accounts of his editorial visions and their implementation are fascinating, as are his vivid profiles of writers, photographers, and Hollywood stars. Carter's delight in the chaos, effort, stress, and exhilaration of his editorships generate the effervescence and depth of this enthusiastically detailed chronicle." --Booklist Advance Praise: "A page-turning, bighearted, self-knowing, anecdote-rich and often screechingly funny record of a life lived to the full. A great memoir by one of the great editors--and characters--of our time." --Christopher Buckley "A splendidly written and warmhearted handbook for how to live, for how to be a friend and a leader and a parent and a partner and a dining companion that gets invited back, and it's precisely the sort of book that makes one a better person after reading it. Everybody under the age of 40 should read this masterwork so that we might collectively bring back that golden age, and everybody over 40 should read it and summarily wave their handkerchiefs in admirable surrender." --Lisa Taddeo "A tour de force--informative, insightful, droll, and delightful. I am overwhelmed by When the Going Was Good." -- Gay Talese "There is so much to savour in this enormously enjoyable memoir, but it's the Vanity Fair chapters--an indispensable 'how-to' edit a magazine, host a party, curate a dinner, and inspire a legendary stable of writers--that form the centrepiece and highlight of this fascinating ride. You emerge from this enormously enjoyable memoir with the feeling of having just left an unforgettable party." --Peter Morgan "What a great read--but it had a downside. It served to remind me how unexciting, unremarkable, and uninteresting I am, especially compared to this Carter fellow, the charming, colorful, raconteur that he is. As Leon once said to me in a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm , 'That mothafucka lived a life!" --Larry David
Illustrated
Yes
Dewey Decimal
070.51092
Synopsis
An Instant New York Times Bestseller 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 as well as those who would grace the pages of Vanity Fair . 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., 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 also he arrived only a few years after launching Spy magazine, which gloried in skewering the celebrated and powerful - the very people Vanity Fair venerated. But with curiosity, fearlessness, and a love of recent history and glamour that would come to define his storied career in magazines, Carter endeared 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 colourful 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 City from Ottawa, Canada, he worked at Time, Life, The New York Observer, and Spy, before catching the eye of Conde 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 best-ever 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.
LC Classification Number
PN4874.C268A3 2025
As told to
Fox, James
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- h***b (928)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseGreat price and fast shipping!
- f***f (1596)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent Seller, Goes the Extra Mile. The Seller Was Incredibly Communicative. Smooth Transaction, Shipped Very Quickly, As Advertised; Good Price; Well Packaged & Delivered Within a Few Days. Item in Described Promised Condition, Thank You Very Much!!!!!!!!!!! A+
- p***m (268)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseA+ Highest Rating for this transaction. Nova Classic Volume 2 - Marvel / Paperback - condition & quality look really good, ALMOST NEW even better than described. Shipping was Fast (1 week) / packaging was thin mylar mailer, but no visible damage to book. Great price AND free shipping. I buy here often, and this transaction was flawless. 5 STARS
- e***n (2246)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseExcellent seller. Great communication , fast delivery, extra care in packing for shipment 📦, great price 💰, Came as shown in photo📸, I would do repeat buys in 1 sec with this seller. AAAA ++++. 5 st🌟rs. <(•🪖•)>
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- h***b (928)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseGreat price and fast shipping!
- f***f (1596)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent Seller, Goes the Extra Mile. The Seller Was Incredibly Communicative. Smooth Transaction, Shipped Very Quickly, As Advertised; Good Price; Well Packaged & Delivered Within a Few Days. Item in Described Promised Condition, Thank You Very Much!!!!!!!!!!! A+
- p***m (268)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseA+ Highest Rating for this transaction. Nova Classic Volume 2 - Marvel / Paperback - condition & quality look really good, ALMOST NEW even better than described. Shipping was Fast (1 week) / packaging was thin mylar mailer, but no visible damage to book. Great price AND free shipping. I buy here often, and this transaction was flawless. 5 STARS
- e***n (2246)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseExcellent seller. Great communication , fast delivery, extra care in packing for shipment 📦, great price 💰, Came as shown in photo📸, I would do repeat buys in 1 sec with this seller. AAAA ++++. 5 st🌟rs. <(•🪖•)>