The Art of Social Climbing, Signed by Jerome Zerbe
[Signed] Zerbe, Jerome. The Art of Social Climbing. First Edition. 1965. Book is in very good condition; dust jacket is in good plus condition—jacket shows soiling, minor tears, and rubbing. It is price-clipped. Book is boldly signed “Jerome Zerbe” on the flyleaf.
Based upon this humorous but helpful book, Jerome Zerbe did more than take photographs while stationed at his El Morocco banquette. He also made shrewd observations. It is breezy social discourse, but fascinating. Zerbe muses that the main obstacle for the nouveaux riches are the vieux pauvre. He classifies café society wannabes as Nescafé. A final treat is an appendix listing his version of Mrs. Astor’s Four Hundred, circa 1965.
“To have prestige in New York, aristocratic lineage and wealth are not enough. One must also be sociable, amusing, and more than willing to entertain.”
--Jerome Zerbe