Phillip Van Rensselaer, Rich Was Better
Rensselaer, Philip Van. Rich Was Better. First Edition. 1990. Book is in very good condition; dust jacket is in very good minus condition.
This whirlwind memoir calls to mind F. Scott Fitzgerald and his most famous
saying. Only the corollary here is that even when the rich are in fact poor,
they remain very different. From one of America’s oldest families, Van
Rensselaer was turned out of the Social Register for his close
association with tabloid princess Barbara Hutton. His income fluctuated wildly,
but his grand spending habits remained constant. He survived on charisma and
vapor for decades. That famous charm is evident in this book as he relates his
experiences with the jet set, from Hollywood to the Riviera and from Elsa
Maxwell to Andy Warhol.
--Philip Van Rensselaer