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.
This tongue-in-cheek guide to social aspiration was written by someone who knew the subject intimately, Jerome Zerbe, the court photographer of the legendary El Morocco. For decades he photographed the celebrities, socialites, and assorted characters who occupied its zebra-striped banquettes, giving him a front-row seat to the rituals of status and ambition. Here he blends advice with anecdote, as though the reader were seated beside him at dinner, recounting stories of Vanderbilts, Astors, Elsa Maxwell, Laura (Mrs. Malaprop) Corrigan, Ward McAllister, and many others. The tone is breezy and often amusing, but Zerbe understood that beneath the froth lay something more enduring. Social climbing, after all, is merely survival of the fittest—with better tailoring.
“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