Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball [Paperback]

Deborah Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2007

In 1966, everyone who was anyone wanted an invitation to Truman Capote's "Black and White Dance" in New York, and guests included Frank Sinatra, Norman Mailer, C. Z. Guest, Kennedys, Rockefellers, and more. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings of the guests, this portrait of revelry at the height of the swirling, swinging sixties is a must for anyone interested in American popular culture and the lifestyles of the rich, famous, and talented.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Truman Capote's legendary masked ball, at New York City's Plaza Hotel on November 28, 1966, was a hyped-up media event meticulously masterminded by the self-promoting, social-climbing author of In Cold Blood. Davis (Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X) dishes up the menu, the decor, the outfits and the guest list of 540, clueing the reader in to how Capote dangled the prized invitations for months, snubbing early supporters like Carson McCullers as he determined who was "in" and who was "out." In choosing his guest of honor, Capote eschewed glamorous "swans" like Babe Paley and Marella Agnelli in favor of "dowdy" Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham. Actress Candice Bergen was bored at the ball; Capote's elevator man danced the night away with a woman who didn't know his pedigree; and Norman Mailer sounded off about Vietnam. This frothy effort retreads ground already covered by Gerald Clarke, George Plimpton and Sally Bedell Smith, among others. Black-and-white photos have frozen the beautiful people of the '60s in all their preening glory, and readers also get to see the invitation and the fashion sketches of the elaborate masks and headdresses created by Halston and Adolfo. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

In Party of the Century, Deborah Davis tells of the now legendary Black and White Ball. Truman Capote threw the bash at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966. Its guest of honor was Katharine Graham, president of the Washington Post Co., but no one had any illusions: The purpose of this gala was to celebrate the host, a serious writer but also a celebrity. There had never been much doubt about the celebrity part -- from the moment that he styled himself as a male nymphet for his first novel's jacket photo, Capote had shown a rare talent for self-promotion. What had been in doubt was the literary prowess. As he entered his forties, the once-promising young writer had produced only a few slim volumes of exquisitely written fiction and journalism. But recently In Cold Blood -- a masterpiece in the literature of fact -- had routed the skeptics, and it was time to celebrate. Capote's plan, notes Davis, was to mix and match people: titled aristocrats with intellectuals with ordinary Joes from the rural Kansas county where the In Cold Blood murders had occurred. But in this respect, the party seems to have failed. "I've never seen such ghettoizing in all my life," complained Capote's lover, Jack Dunphy. "No group mixed with another group." As for the excluded, the book reproduces the cover of a subsequent Esquire issue. Under the rubric "We wouldn't have come even if you had invited us, Truman Capote" is pictured a surly-looking group comprising Jimmy Brown, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Pat Brown, Ed Sullivan, Pierre Salinger, Lynn Redgrave and Casey Stengel. (The Washington Post, June 4, 2006)

"...opens up his [Truman Capote] vulnerable heart as well as, and more accurately than the film..." (Yorkshire Post, June 2006)

"...gripping...very enjoyable in a voyeuristic way...." (Observer, April 2006)

"...Davis's excitement about the ball and its organisation is contagious...there is room too, for this stylish, sparkling little volume...." (Sunday Times, April 2006)

"...full of lavish photographs and anecdotes detailing the glitz and glamour of Truman's infamous black and white masked ball..." (Stella Magazine, April 2006)  

"...an interesting read and a must for all Capote fans..." (The Western Daily Press, April 2006)

"brings splendidly colorful behind-the-scenes action and players up front." (The New York Times, March 19, 2006)

"...Davis details every glittering facet of the painstakingly planned bal masque ... an evocative testament to bygone elegance, etiquette and entertaining..." (Guardian, March 2006)

"...captures the spirit and significance of the occasion with new material and fresh perspective, making this a party worth crashing..." (Town and Country, March 2005) 

Truman Capote's legendary masked ball, at New York City's Plaza Hotel on November 28, 1966, was a hyped-up media event meticulously masterminded by the self-promoting, social-climbing author of In Cold Blood. Davis (Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X) dishes up the menu, the decor, the outfits and the guest list of 540, clueing the reader in to how Capote dangled the prized invitations for months, snubbing early supporters like Carson McCullers as he determined who was "in" and who was "out." In choosing his guest of honor, Capote eschewed glamorous "swans" like Babe Paley and Marella Agnelli in favor of "dowdy" Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham. Actress Candice Bergen was bored at the ball; Capote's elevator man danced the night away with a woman who didn't know his pedigree; and Norman Mailer sounded off about Vietnam. This frothy effort retreads ground already covered by Gerald Clarke, George Plimpton and Sally Bedell Smith, among others. Black-and-white photos have frozen the beautiful people of the '60s in all their preening glory, and readers also get to see the invitation and the fashion sketches of the elaborate masks and headdresses created by Halston and Adolfo. (Mar.) (Publishers Weekly, December 12, 2005) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (February 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047009821X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470098219
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deborah Davis is the author of six narrative non-fiction books, including the upcoming The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy, the authorized history of twenty-five years of the landmark television show and its legendary host (Abrams, 2011) and Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation, which tells the story of the remarkable event that ignited a racial storm, divided the country, and threatened to topple two of America's greatest men (Atria/S&S). Her other works include Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X (Tarcher/Putnam, 2003), the story behind the legendary John Singer Sargent painting that propelled the artist to international renown but condemned his subject to a life of public ridicule; Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (Wiley, 2006), which transports readers to the Oz-like splendor of New York in 1966, where Capote, at the pinnacle of his fame, threw himself the party to end all parties; The Secret Lives of Frames: 100 Years of Art and Artistry (Filipacchi Publishing, 2007), a history of the picture frame, the beautiful, hardworking, and frequently overlooked Cinderella of the art world; and Gilded: How Newport Became the Richest Resort in America (Wiley, 2009), a colorful history of the fabled city from its first colonists to its new millennium millionaires. She has also written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Magazine Antiques, and Art and Antiques. Prior to becoming an author, she was a story editor and story analyst for several major film companies, including Warner Bros. Miramax, and Disney. Davis lives with her husband in Montclair, New Jersey and is the mother of two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Thought This Was A Coffee Table Photo Book!, February 28, 2006

By 

Anna V. Carroll - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (Hardcover)

When I eagerly pre-ordered this book MONTHS ago, for some reason I thought it was hundreds of photos from the Black & White Ball with narrative. Not. My copy arrived yesterday and instead of finding a large, photographic tome, I found this little book. Disappointed? You bet. However, I read it from cover-to-cover before going to bed last night.

Ms. Davis re-tells a very old story in a new, fresh way. For those of you who have only recently discovered Mr. Capote, this is a wonderful beginners book. I would recommend this book before reading Mr. Clarke and Mr. Plimpton's books on him.

Re-reading the story of the Black & White Ball brought back so many memories of where I was in 1966 and what has transpired in my life since that night, as well as the deep sadness of knowing what, unfortunately, happened to Truman Capote after the ball was over. It's a lovely little book told with respect and admiration. The cast of characters (most of them) have passed on to that great ballroom in the sky. Many of them will be names my daughter's generation has never heard of and will have no relevance to them at all. Penelope Tree anyone?

There are a few photos but certainly not nearly enough. I agree with our friend from the UK in that the book would be better with more photos. Question: Who has the black and white and color photos taken that evening and why haven't they published a large book of them? I would buy it in an instant. To see those young, fabulous faces (Mia Farrow, Candy Bergen) and the Jet Set of Europe and US after all these years re-awakens memories of the sad times of the 60s, but also the good times.

The book is about a night in the history of wealthy America. There is no one like Truman Capote on the scene at present and I daresay there will never be another writer like him again. The social scene that existed in the 60's no longer exists either. You don't have Suzy to read in your morning paper. You read about bimbos with no brains married to male bimbos with no looks. Angelina and Brad excluded. The book does recreate a bygone era never to be seen again. But it makes you sad at the end when you finish it and put it in your bookshelf along with all the other books on Truman Capote. It was perhaps the one day in his life when Truman Capote was truly, truly happy.

I would highly recommend this book to the new generation of Capote lovers. She did a lovely job.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lifestyles of the rich and famous - a favorite waste of time., March 10, 2006

By 

I. Sondel "I. Sondel - lover of the arts" (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (Hardcover)

Picture it: The Plaza Hotel, 28 November 1966. This is the setting of "The Party of the Century," an absolutely delicious behind the scenes look at Truman Capote's legendary 1966 Black and White Ball. Two things are true about Truman Capote. One is that he was one of the finest prose writers of the twentieth-century. The other is that he was a shameless media whore and a champion self-promoter (the literary equivalent of Orson Welles and, like Welles, extravagantly talented). Deborah Davis has crafted a hugely entertaining book that captures all the excitement and anticipation of "the" social event of the decade. Who's in with the in crowd was established by who received an invitation and who didn't. Life among the cannibals has rarely been this much fun to read about.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great story of the end of an era, February 24, 2006

By 

David Morley (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (Hardcover)

This is a great read about the celebrated party Mr Capote threw back in 1966. After wowing the world with his writing Capote decided to throw the party to end all parties. Reading about it as someone not even born by that year I was interested in how all the people invited seemed to have earnt their celebrity. America's established jet set rubbing shoulders with the new young celebs. I don't think a party of this nature could be thrown today as we're so used to seeing vulgar celebs attending the opening of an envelope. (Paris Hilton would so not have been invited.)

Saying that Capote did seem to be playing all of his guests and this is one area the author fails to explore. Was the party a massive PR stunt or Mr Capote's finest hour?

More pics would have been appreciated but for anyone interested in Capote, the sixties or the social history of New York this is an essential read.