The Official Filthy Rich Handbook
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| The Official Filthy Rich Handbook | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It's looking like another banner year for America's moneyed overclass, that lucky .0001 percent of the population sitting on $30 million-plus in liquid assets. Sadly, every year thousands more will be joining their ranks and discovering it's not so easy to have it all. St. Tropez or St. Thomas? Maybach or Hummer? So many choices—and worse, so many opportunities to make the wrong choice.
Now help has arrived. In the spirit of The Official Preppy Handbook—the 1.3 million-copy bestseller that taught us all how to be top drawer—here is a dead-on, deadpan guide to living large in the land of plenty. Packed with wry insight and savvy, The Official Filthy Rich Handbook yanks the monogrammed pashmina off a world few mortals get to see. An actual instruction manual, this nuts-and-bolts guide (phone numbers included) feeds our endless fascination with the world of the loaded while offering practical instruction for those who aspire to join them. The difference between a majordomo and a butler. The proper way to name your houses. Acceptable Privet Height: A Cautionary Tale. Meet your new peers in the Plutocrat Primer—including The Speculator, The Thrillionaire, The Moguless, The Heirhead—and the mooches and scoundrels to know and avoid. Cosmetic procedures for you and your children. The right spots to party in Sardinia, Aspen, Napa, St. Barts. Bodyguards—ex-Mossad vs. ex-NYPD. The Top 10 Charities. Why the Filthy Rich swim nude. The Official Filthy Rich–Approved List of Rehab Centers. Why it's so hard to break into the art market (and how to do it). Fun gadgets: La Cimballi M3 Cappucino Station, the Toto Washlet S300 no-paper toilet. Colleges you'll want your kids to drop out of. What to wear when interviewing with the co-op board. And much, much more. "The rich are different from you and me," said F. Scott Fitzgerald. But at least now you know what they know. |
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| 08-11-08 | 5 | 5\10 |
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Making money is one thing, acquiring the tasteful mannerisms of the rich is another. This book helps newly minted money acquire the ways of old money.
I can't even begin to tell how many times I've met the noveau riche, and they've annoyed the heck out of me during the summer parties I've hosted in Newport, RI. I've instructed my butler to discreetly slip a copy of this book in the offender's butler's pocket so they may acquire better manners and taste. These days, when I'm called on to deliver commencement addresses at sundry universities, I always make it a point to mention the book so that the kids know how to behave as soon as they sell their first dot-com. I'm also sponsoring translations of the book into both Chinese and Hindi so the newly rich from those countries can fit into our social scene here. One final thought... show some taste by acquiring the hardcover. Leave the paperbacks to the staff "downstairs". (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 01:19:04 EST)
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| 07-07-08 | 5 | 9\10 |
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First, let me start by saying, based solely upon Tennant's book jacket author photo, he is probably one of the best looking straight dude authors I have seen in ages. This alone, would normally make me a little skeptical but the book is just so damn thorough that it makes it impossible to hate the guy.
Not only does he have an encyclopedic understanding of the lifestyles of the rich and fabulous but he actually conveys knowledge about stuff most people (including myself, and I happen to have impeccable taste) don't already know, and in a way that is informative, witty, impassioned and borderline satirical. Also, following up the Preppy Handbook is no small feat but Tennant really gets an ace in the hole on this one. Doesn't disappoint! (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-25 06:07:46 EST)
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| 07-04-08 | 5 | 2\2 |
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If, like me, you find the immoderately rich kinda fascinating in their loathsomeness--think Goldie Hawn in the guilty-pleasure movie, Overboard--this book will totally feed that fascination. It's also quite impressive as a tour de force of McSweeney's-esque chartiness.
It reminds me of the time I visited a college friend in Ohio and quickly realized she'd failed to warn me she was filthy rich. Her grandmother's "cottage" turned out to be a sprawling turn-of-the-century home with a vast formal English Rose Garden and a daunting assortment of cutlery (each piece intended for some insanely specific purpose...I remember they had a fork specifically for duck.) The whole trip was a nightmare and I ruined an entire set of "heirloom sheets" with ink from a cheap, crappy Bic pen while documenting the family's alien qualities in my journal. Had I been equipped with this comprehensive book, things might have gone a lot better. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-08 07:55:48 EST)
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| 06-30-08 | 5 | 1\2 |
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Most enjoyable read in a long time! Well written and clever while giving information that, while not necessary, should not be missed!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-04 09:17:56 EST)
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| 06-26-08 | 5 | 1\1 |
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Great book! Tennant nails the rich & fabulous life to a T (or so I've heard...) Go buy this book ASAP!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-30 06:14:46 EST)
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| 06-25-08 | 5 | 1\4 |
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I find this book is one that has been long overdue for the "yuppy" generation and those to come. The wit and cliches' are just priceless and I am sure will be very helpful to this generation. Very well written and displayed. I was prepared for this type of information and was very satisfied with all it contained.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-30 06:14:46 EST)
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| 06-25-08 | 5 | 1\5 |
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We love us some filth, and we have never felt filthier than after we read this book.....AND THAT'S AN AMAZING THING!!! Tennant has taken us on a ride through a world we'll probably never see first hand. From the yachts to the $25K tin of caviar to why the rich swim naked. We're total fans of trivia, and this book is a treasure trove. Must. Buy. Immediately.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-30 06:14:46 EST)
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| 06-23-08 | 4 | 3\4 |
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I enjoyed this silly handbook about the über rich. Reading it, I never laughed out loud but did smile. I also learned some interesting trivia, such as the fact that actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus' father has an estimated $3.4 billion fortune. Get out!
The book opens with the Plutocrat Primer, a welcome to the newly wealthy. A field guide to the filthy rich diagrams some common types, such as The Wastrel, The Nerdling, The Impresario and The Heirhead, whose patron saint is Paris Hilton. Some sections seem like an actual handbook, though, and aren't funny. A five-page Members Only segment lists and describes actual country clubs by such categories as how long the wait list is to join, and who some of the famous members are. Each chapter has a directory with contact information on actual businesses that cater to wealthy customers. Did you know you can buy Almas caviar that comes from a 100-year-old beluga sturgeon for $25,000 a tin from the Caviar House in London? I didn't, and didn't care. Far better are the acidly cynical segments that skewer the shallow rich, such as the piece about plastic surgery called "Daddy, I Hate My Nose!" Another piece teaches you what to say for your cover story after liposuction makes it appear you've lost a ton of post-childbirth weight: "It's so true what they say. Breast-feeding torches the calories!" Here's the chapter list: 1. The Plutocrat Primer: Meet your new friends 2. Where to Live: Homing patterns 3. It Takes a Village: The art of staffing up 4. Buying a Better You: Looking the part 5. The Social Whirl: Out & about 6. Travel & Leisure: Summer is a verb 7. Float Some & Jet Some: Tycoons on the move 8. Playgrounds & Pastimes: Get a hobby 9. To Heir is Divine: Billionaire breeding habits 10. Afflictions & Pretensions: Surviving at the top (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-26 02:10:23 EST)
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| 06-23-08 | 4 | 0\1 |
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I enjoyed this silly handbook about the über rich. Although I didn't laugh out loud, the book made me smile. I also learned some interesting trivia, such as that actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus' father has an estimated $3.4 billion fortune. Get out!
The book opens with the Plutocrat Primer, a welcome to the newly wealthy. A field guide to the filthy rich diagrams some common types, such as The Wastrel, The Nerdling, The Impresario and The Heirhead, whose patron saint is Paris Hilton. Some sections make the book seem like an actual handbook, and aren't funny. For example, a five-page Members Only segment lists and describes country clubs by such categories as how long the wait list is to join, and who some of the famous members are. Each chapter also has a directory with contact information on actual businesses that cater to wealthy customers. With this information you are armed to purchase such merchandise as Almas caviar from a 100-year-old beluga sturgeon for $25,000 a tin from the Caviar House in London. Far more successful are the acidly on-target segments that skewer the shallow rich, such as "Daddy, I Hate My Nose!" about plastic surgery. You even learn what to say for your cover story. After liposuction makes it appear you've lost a ton of post-childbirth weight, you can say, "It's so true what they say. Breast-feeding torches the calories!" Here's the chapter list: 1. The Plutocrat Primer: Meet your new friends 2. Where to Live: Homing patterns 3. It Takes a Village: The art of staffing up 4. Buying a Better You: Looking the part 5. The Social Whirl: Out & about 6. Travel & Leisure: Summer is a verb 7. Float Some & Jet Some: Tycoons on the move 8. Playgrounds & Pastimes: Get a hobby 9. To Heir is Divine: Billionaire breeding habits 10. Afflictions & Pretensions: Surviving at the top (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-25 06:16:55 EST)
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