Overview

Extensively expanded and revised, with a new foreword by Thomas Frank In the United States, happiness and wealth are often regarded as synonymous. Consumerism, greed, and the insatiable desire for more are American obsessions. In the native tradition of Twain, Veblen, and Mencken, the editor of Lapham's Quarterly here examines our fascination with the ubiquitous green goddess. Focusing on the wealthy sybarites of New York City, whom Lewis H. Lapham has been able to observe firsthand in their natural habitat, Money and Class in America is a caustic, and often hilarious, portrait of a segment of the American population who, in the thirty years since the book was originally written, have become only further removed-both in terms of wealth and social awareness-from everyone else.

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9781944869892

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Praise for Money and Class in America Money and Class is, on every page, a pleasure to read. Lapham's ... sentences simply radiate elegance.- Thomas Frank, author, What's the Matter with Kansas? Praise for Lewis Lapham: Without doubt our greatest satirist--elegant, honorable, learned and fair. I love reading him. --Kurt Vonnegut Lewis Lapham--born of Mark Twain and H. L. Mencken--is the most provocative and engaging essayist in the country. --George Plimpton An elegant collection of sardonic and satirical essays . . . Lapham is a moralist in the tradition of Gore Vidal. --Godfrey Hodgson, Independent An elegant descant of despair about the state of American culture and political life. -- Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph In this aptly titled collection of twenty-five exquisite essays, Lewis Lapham depicts an ugly America. These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing. -- Johanna Berkman, New York Times Book Review Lapham refuses to cozy down to his audience, much less cozy up to its ignorance and prejudices. Nor will he surrender a jot of his wit, erudition and style. --Los Angeles Times Lapham's portraits of his country are astute and his dry wit as sharp as a knife. --Times These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing.... --Johanna Berkman, The New York Times Book Review This is a book that must be read. If you can't stomach the philosophy, just lie back and enjoy the prose. -- Marina Benjamin, Evening Standard We should honour and respect Lapham, and all his works, and buy this book . . . Like Gore Vidal and Christopher Hitchens, in whose ballpark he is worthy to play, the predicament is of the civilised man who has become a relentless chronicler of the awfulness of American politics. -- Nicholas Lezard, Guardian [Lapham is] a latter-day Mencken or Twain, our last best hope for literary journalism, or any kind of journalism that isn't lazy and shamelessly reverential of money. -- John Cook, Washington City Pages

Praise for Money and Class in America Money and Class is, on every page, a pleasure to read. Lapham's ... sentences simply radiate elegance.- Thomas Frank, author, What's the Matter with Kansas? Praise for Lewis Lapham: Without doubt our greatest satirist--elegant, honorable, learned and fair. I love reading him. --Kurt Vonnegut Lewis Lapham--born of Mark Twain and H. L. Mencken--is the most provocative and engaging essayist in the country. --George Plimpton An elegant collection of sardonic and satirical essays . . . Lapham is a moralist in the tradition of Gore Vidal. --Godfrey Hodgson, Independent An elegant descant of despair about the state of American culture and political life. -- Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph In this aptly titled collection of twenty-five exquisite essays, Lewis Lapham depicts an ugly America. These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing. -- Johanna Berkman, New York Times Book Review Lapham refuses to cozy down to his audience, much less cozy up to its ignorance and prejudices. Nor will he surrender a jot of his wit, erudition and style. --Los Angeles Times Lapham's portraits of his country are astute and his dry wit as sharp as a knife. --Times These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing.... --Johanna Berkman, The New York Times Book Review This is a book that must be read. If you can't stomach the philosophy, just lie back and enjoy the prose. -- Marina Benjamin, Evening Standard We should honour and respect Lapham, and all his works, and buy this book . . . Like Gore Vidal and Christopher Hitchens, in whose ballpark he is worthy to play, the predicament is of the civilised man who has become a relentless chronicler of the awfulness of American politics. -- Nicholas Lezard, Guardian [Lapham is] a latter-day Mencken or Twain, our last best hope for literary journalism, or any kind of journalism that isn't lazy and shamelessly reverential of money. -- John Cook, Washington City Pages Praise for Lewis Lapham: Lewis Lapham speaks the truth to power and wealth in each issue of America's oldest political journal...In the essays he writes and the articles he publishes, he opens the veins on issues like class, power, politics. -- Bill Moyers Without doubt our greatest satirist--elegant, honorable, learned and fair. I love reading him. --Kurt Vonnegut Lewis Lapham--born of Mark Twain and H. L. Mencken--is the most provocative and engaging essayist in the country. --George Plimpton An elegant collection of sardonic and satirical essays . . . Lapham is a moralist in the tradition of Gore Vidal. --Godfrey Hodgson, Independent An elegant descant of despair about the state of American culture and political life. -- Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph In this aptly titled collection of twenty-five exquisite essays, Lewis Lapham depicts an ugly America. These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing. -- Johanna Berkman, New York Times Book Review Lapham refuses to cozy down to his audience, much less cozy up to its ignorance and prejudices. Nor will he surrender a jot of his wit, erudition and style. --Los Angeles Times Lapham's portraits of his country are astute and his dry wit as sharp as a knife. --Times These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing.... --Johanna Berkman, The New York Times Book Review This is a book that must be read. If you can't stomach the philosophy, just lie back and enjoy the prose. -- Marina Benjamin, Evening Standard We should honour and respect Lapham, and all his works, and buy this book . . . Like Gore Vidal and Christopher Hitchens, in whose ballpark he is worthy to play, the predicament is of the civilised man who has become a relentless chronicler of the awfulness of American politics. -- Nicholas Lezard, Guardian [Lapham is] a latter-day Mencken or Twain, our last best hope for literary journalism, or any kind of journalism that isn't lazy and shamelessly reverential of money. -- John Cook, Washington City Pages

Praise for Money and Class in America Money and Class is, on every page, a pleasure to read. Lapham’s … sentences simply radiate elegance.- Thomas Frank, author, What’s the Matter with Kansas? Praise for Lewis Lapham: ""Without doubt our greatest satirist—elegant, honorable, learned and fair. I love reading him."" —Kurt Vonnegut ""Lewis Lapham—born of Mark Twain and H. L. Mencken—is the most provocative and engaging essayist in the country."" —George Plimpton ""An elegant collection of sardonic and satirical essays . . . Lapham is a moralist in the tradition of Gore Vidal."" —Godfrey Hodgson, Independent ""An elegant descant of despair about the state of American culture and political life."" — Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph ""In this aptly titled collection of twenty-five exquisite essays, Lewis Lapham depicts an ugly America. These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing."" — Johanna Berkman, New York Times Book Review ""Lapham refuses to cozy down to his audience, much less cozy up to its ignorance and prejudices. Nor will he surrender a jot of his wit, erudition and style."" —Los Angeles Times ""Lapham's portraits of his country are astute and his dry wit as sharp as a knife."" —Times ""These dour yet witty ruminations spare no one and nothing...."" —Johanna Berkman, The New York Times Book Review ""This is a book that must be read. If you can't stomach the philosophy, just lie back and enjoy the prose."" — Marina Benjamin, Evening Standard ""We should honour and respect Lapham, and all his works, and buy this book . . . Like Gore Vidal and Christopher Hitchens, in whose ballpark he is worthy to play, the predicament is of the civilised man who has become a relentless chronicler of the awfulness of American politics."" — Nicholas Lezard, Guardian ""[Lapham is] a latter-day Mencken or Twain, our last best hope for literary journalism, or any kind of journalism that isn't lazy and shamelessly reverential of money."" — John Cook, Washington City Pages

Author Information

LEWIS H. LAPHAM is the founding Editor of Lapham's Quarterly and the editor emeritus of Harper's. His columns received the National Magazine Award in 1995 for exhibiting ""an exhilarating point of view in an age of conformity,"" and, in 2002, the Thomas Paine Journalism Award. He was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame in 2007. His other books include Fortune's Child, Imperial Masquerade, The Wish for Kings, Hotel America, Waiting for the Barbarians, Theater of WarThe Agony of Mammon, Gag Rule, Pretensions to Empire, and The Age of Folly.

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