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 survey of social aspiration in the age of café society was written by someone who knew the subject well, the lensman for the legendary El Morocco. The photos of celebrities and socialites posing in the zebra-striped banquettes were taken by him. He blends advice with anecdote, as if the reader were seated next to him at dinner, with stories on how and why to take one’s place in society. With cameos by various Vanderbilts and Astors, Elsa Maxwell, Laura (Mrs. Malaprop) Corrigan, Ward McAllister, et al. It’s breezy social discourse but fascinating. Zerbe understood that beneath the froth, there was substance.
“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