A sober affair—an unflustered, chronological account of half a century’s comings-and-goings—but has the merit of relative objectivity ... Empire of the Elite is a lucid introduction to this rarefied milieu and the people who inhabited it.
Although Grynbaum explores the excess and elitism that characterized Condé Nast’s golden years, he gives little consideration to the omissions in coverage the company’s culture inevitably created. The book is almost wholly unburdened by racial analysis, as if Condé Nast’s near-monolithic whiteness were incidental to its editorial decisions and imagined audiences. Still, the author’s engaging writing style and deep knowledge of Condé Nast history will appeal to readers interested in long-form journalism and the culture industry.
Grynbaum digs into the inner workings of Condé Nast in exquisite detail, tracing the career of editor Tina Brown, who helmed both Vanity Fair and the New Yorker, and shedding light on the 'accusations of racial insensitivity' at Bon Appétit in 2020. Grynbaum makes clear that at its height, the culture of Condé Nast was one of exclusionary wealth, where 'budgets were for the unimaginative.' It’s a definitive account of a media titan.
