True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World [Hardcover]

Lisa Birnbach (Author), Chip Kidd (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 7, 2010

“Wake up, Muffy. We’re back.”

From Lisa Birnbach, the author of The Official Preppy Handbook—and designer Chip Kidd—comes a whole new take on the prep world that Birnbach turned into an international best-selling phenomenon thirty years ago.

True Prep is a contemporary look at how the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping, G&T-soaked preppies adapt to the new order of things. Birnbach considers the prep attitude towards money (ambivalent), schools (good investment), wardrobe (now your clothes fit), work (some careers will never be prep), decorating (ask mummy), scandal (including rehab and prison), and food and drink (with some classic recipes for both). She also looks at weekends (and what to do to get asked back), entertaining, sports (including sailing and shopping), weddings, etiquette, the Internet and electronic gadgetry, political correctness, reality TV, and . . . polar fleece. And last but not least: a do-it-yourself eulogy.

With more than 200 original illustrations and photographs, True Prep promises to be a whole new, old sensation.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Look Inside True Prep

Casual Friday. Saturday. View larger

Henry's Head View larger

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From Publishers Weekly

Thirty years after The Official Preppy Handbook was published comes this new how-to, updated to incorporate such 21st-century givens as gay marriage, dad's new wife, and rehab, all while underscoring the importance of tradition, which ought to be as reliable as those monogrammed L.L. Bean canvas totes. From what to keep in the pantry (box of raisins, food dye for Easter eggs, etc.) to how to not talk about money, the terse advice and blue-blood humor throughout make this a good stocking stuffer for all those 20-somethings who may have no idea what they've inherited with their Sperry top-siders. And tried-and-true Izod fans, who were around the first time, will appreciate the novelty that much more. Especially worthwhile are Edmund White's contribution on "Where do gay preppies go," a "real" prep's response to Gossip Girl, the spot-on Edith Wharton quotes throughout, and the drawings of Randy Glass. Illus.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1ST edition (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307593983
• ISBN-13: 978-0307593986
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Writer and broadcaster Lisa Birnbach wrote The Official Preppy Handbook and the forthcoming TRUE PREP. Celebrated for her keen eye for culture, Birnbach is a media favorite and has lectured at numerous universities around the country.

After graduating from Brown University, Birnbach worked at The Village Voice, where she co-wrote the ''Scenes'' column. Her first book, The Official Preppy Handbook, became a runaway bestseller (38 weeks at #1 on the NYT bestseller list!) and a tongue-in-cheek reference guide for a generation. She began writing for such high-profile publications as Glamour, TV Guide and Rolling Stone. She also went on a college lecture tour and put her vast knowledge of college life to use when she wrote Lisa Birnbach's College Book, offering the inside scoop on campuses. She has since been the writer and co-writer of 20 books and has written for Parade, New York, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Travel & Leisure.

Other points of interest: Lisa has been a Dewar's profile, been serenaded by John Denver (in a limousine), Meat Loaf (on a tour bus), Penn Jillette (in the Salt Lake City airport), and Wayne Newton (eat your hearts out). She was the Las Vegas bureau chief of Spy magazine, and she's also been the "keynote speaker" at many a convention and annual meeting.

She has appeared on many national television shows, including The Today Show, Oprah, Late Night with David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Charlie Rose, Good Morning America, and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. From 1999- 2002 Lisa was a correspondent on The Early Show, with a weekly segment called, "Yikes! I'm a Grownup!" Until 2007, she hosted the syndicated radio program, ''The Lisa Birnbach Show,'' which won the 2007 Gracie awards for ''Outstanding Talk Show'' and ''Outstanding Comedy Show.''

And though she doesn't believe in "parenting," (see p. 10 of True Prep), Lisa is the mother of three children who live with her in New York.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

143 of 159 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars True Disappointment September 24, 2010

By Catechumen

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Official Preppy Handbook ("OPH") was, by its own terms, inclusive, "[l]ooking, acting, and ultimately being Prep is not restricted to an elite minority lucky enough to attend prestigious private schools......[y]ou don't even have to be a registered Republican. In a true democracy everyone can be upper class....[i]t's only fair." Of course, by its own terms, this is farce; not everyone can be upper class, but what the OPH did was satirically "break the code" of the "preppy" tribe. In the name of humor, certain characteristics were exaggerated (pink and green being the most obvious), but as with all good satire, it was built on kernels of truth. Further, in some cases, the OPH gave good advice - especially with respect to matters sartorial. Published in an age when Disco was still going and polyester still held sway with large swathes of the American population, the OPH gave reliable advice on classic clothing, natural fibers, appropriate shoes, ties, belts, outerwear, etc. It's easy to forget how the OPH and the preppy trend of the early 80s helped save middle-America from the fashion monstrosities of the 70s.

So thirty years later, along comes "True Prep." What a disaster. My first thoughts consist of 1) the excellence of the OPH must owe a huge debt to Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley et al. because Lisa Birnbach could not have written a majority of the OPH and then turn out True Prep, and/or 2) Chip Kidd must have held huge sway with Lisa Birnbach and caused her to override her better judgment, and/or 3) Lisa Birnbach has grown incredibly cynical and has simply chosen to jump on the preppy resurgence and cash in while the getting's good....

Hey, it's America so, she should have a right to cash in - the problem is the book doesn't hold the charm, nor the integrity of the OPH. It's galling in its PC propaganda, vulgar in its blatant product placement, and depressing in its embrace of modern/trendy sensibilities. In short, it's crummy sequel to the OPH and reads more like a sequel to the Yuppie Handbook The Yuppie Handbook: The State-of-the Art Manual for Young Urban Professionals or Bobos in Paradise Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There where the sole criteria for "membership" are large amounts of discretionary income and a kind of vapid, trendy, PC mentality. True Prep is about Yuppies or Bobos or, as Paul Fussell called them, "Class X" (See Class: A Guide Through the American Status System)

One need only look at "The True Prep Pantheon" and look at the characters listed therein to see how far afield this book has gone. There are no explicable rules of admission other than to be an "in your face" break with the list in the OPH. Who, until reading the assertions in True Prep, would have ever thought of Yo-Yo Ma, Barack Obama, or Uma Thurman as preppy? I've read the justification - I remain unconvinced, with them as well as others.

When one looked at the men's clothing section of the OPH, one saw references to Weejuns, Brooks Brothers, and Gucci loafers. I dislike Guccis and Weejuns aren't what they were in the 80s, but still respectable choices to this day. In True Prep, one sees, in what can only be a joke or a form of cruel misdirection, fugly Hilfiger loafers which no sane man, let alone a prep, would wear along with almost equally loathsome Bass, Prada, and other atrocious forms of loafers. There's a picture of a ludicrous, multi-colored pair of Sperry Top Siders which are in such bad taste that I can only assume that Sperry paid for the photo to be placed in the book. And, speaking of product placements......J. Crew? Does any man over the age of 21 really wear J. Crew? Yet, True Prep asserts that a prep is dressed head to toe in this trendy, arriviste of a company - Uh, preps no longer wear Brooks Brothers, J. Press, Andover Shop, H. Stockton, Cable Car Clothiers, Bean, etc? Apparently, they couldn't afford the product placements so, J. Crew it is - head to ankles.......and Cole Haan loafers? Please.

As for the PC stuff - it's suffused throughout. Apparently, everyone in the world can be preppy except for Republicans (odd, since in OPH Republicanism was one of may potential indicators of preppiness - see quote at beginning of review). Aside from the cheap shots at Bush, we also have the asinine inclusion of Barack Obama's "Dreams of my Father" on the Preppy "Master Reading List" to make the author's leanings all too clear. How was it that Birnbach was able to put the OPH together without political attacks? So, open and all inclusive is True Prep (except for the aforementioned Republicans), that the authors include a one page interview with a Muslim chaplain at Brown University - I'm sure there are preppy Muslims and Buddhists and Hindus, etc., but the placement of this page, again, seems preachy, so PC, and so very out of place - just out of left field. It's as if nine years after 9-11, the authors are concerned that Muslims in Nantucket Reds might become victims of hate crimes and that the authors must "teach us" that, hey - they can be preppy too. And, they've even included a nice little condescending essay to let all the preppies out there know that adopting babies is OK, too. Thank goodness they gave us their imprimatur. Again, preachiness, smug moralizing (as if we didn't know adoption was a good thing) - not humor.

Others have commented on the disorganization of the book. It really is all over the place. A hodge podge of essays, oddly placed, with narrow margins. I was alive in the 80s - I seem to remember divorces, remarriages, rehab, face lifts, etc. existing back then too. Why the authors felt compelled to mention these issues when they weren't addressed in the OPH is beyond me especially, when they are not, per se, preppy issues and especially when their inclusion takes away from the "escapism" and humor that the OPH provided.

So, in short, this book is a profound disappointment. I'd return it, but it's not worth the shipping cost to send it back to Amazon for the refund. Do yourself a favor and get the OPH. There's more to dislike than to like in this book. It could have been so much better. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but, in this case, you can. Compare the cheesey, girlish cover of True Prep to the classic looking OPH - the same difference resides on the inside. Read more ›

143 of 160 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars A Travesty of A Classic September 14, 2010

By Daniel Orr

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book does for the Official Preppy Handbook what Jar-Jar Binks did for Star Wars.

188 of 212 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to give it more stars but... September 4, 2010

By *Caligirl_08* VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I wanted to give it more stars but...I was just so disappointed. I guess I shouldn't be comparing this book to The Official Preppy Handbook but i couldn't help it. The old book was so much fun and tongue-in-cheek but this book read more like a magazine cataloging products for prep-wannabees to buy in order to pretend to be preppy rather than a comical look at present-day preppies. With the old book i remember reading about the people and being like 'yeah i know someone exactly like that!' i was expecting this book to be just like the old one but updated to reflect life in 2010.

When i read about the people in this book i was like....... 'what's so *uniquely preppy* about this? everyone i know and even people i don't know but see on tv are like this whether they are 'preppy' or not.' Just one example: The chapter on food was weird, the idea that preppies are now all about being foodies is dead on but then you have the 'what's in the pantry' list and it looks it belongs in the book from the 80's not this book. All the preppies i know shop at Wholefoods and buy organic expensive health food... Maybe I'm wrong. I suppose Southern California preppies aren't the same as East Coast ones? I just didn't have as much fun reading this book as i did the old one, this new book seemed confused both in it's content, message and point.

And... Tory Burch...? Really?

9/20/10 - I am reducing my rating of 3 stars down to 1 just because I am so annoyed at the sheer ignorance of some of her articles. She has one article about a preppy man who has decided to convert to Islam (oh yes Muslims can be WASPs too... Wait, doesn't WASP stand for White, Anglo-Saxon PROTESTANT? Oh, never-mind....) She goes on to muse about the basic nonexistence of white Muslims. Really? Tell the Serbs, Bosnians, Turks, Albanians, Bulgarians and others that they are either a) no longer considered white or b) must not be real Muslims since they are white. I am so disgusted by the incredible stupidity of this! She goes on to quote her interviewee saying things like how a Pakistani man COULD wear Lacoste (um... thank you for your permission??) but could not get away with wearing an argyle sweater??? OH MY GOD?? You guys pretend to go to Ivy League schools! Are you telling me that you have never seen a Pakistani kid in argyle at Harvard or Yale??? It's like they pop out of their mothers wombs with the collared shirts, argyle sweaters, khaki pants and dork-glasses permanently glued on! Should I forgive her? It's obvious she hasn't been to a college campus since the 70's! Don't even get me started on her claims that she's visited every school in the country to find out what the preppies one is.

No matter how "yes even you non-white people can be preppies too!" attitude she pretends to have the feeling that non-whites will never truly belong to the culture (she herself pretends to belong to) is disgustingly clear.

One last nit-pick and I'm done.

She used the non-word 'natch' (as shorthand for the word 'naturally') AM I READING THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA?? I wish I was! Even the crap puked out by Lauren Weisberger is better than this FAKE FAKE FAKE embarrassment of a book.

Wait wait, one more!
Page 69 - Apparently KIM KARDASHIAN is a prep (because she went to the Buckley School) because you know putting out a sex tape where your boyfriend pees on you is so very preppy. Read more ›

100 of 116 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Watered down September 9, 2010

By R P

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The first one was fun. This one loses the thread. Prepdom is a quirky and unusual culture, not merely a sartorial style. And it's a culture that frankly can't be found much outside of New England and New York. The last book got that, had its fun with it. It recognized who was part of the culture and who wasn't and what was fun about the culture. Who is part of it and who isn't, is as clear, within prepdom, as in, say, the Hassidic community. You absolutely cannot just dress the part. But whereas the last book was designed for a small readership so it could be specific (and was a surprise hit), this book was intended to be huge and to that end has been fashioned to be all inclusive. Sadly, though, if you try to invent a version of "true preppiness" that includes everyone, it becomes meaningless and kind of silly. The book winds up just telling people where to shop.

It's like a book about being Hawaiian that tries to include everyone who has ever worn a lei. Watered down and pointless.

Oh, well.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly as good as the original September 8, 2010

By Justin Mccarthy

Format:Hardcover

The book is ruined by political correctness....an earlier reviewer had it right: the blue blood has run out.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Old is Right September 18, 2010

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

I cannot express how disappointing this book was. It was so bad, I tossed it before I finished the second chapter. I was looking to see what changes to the original handbook had been made - I wasn't looking for a trip "down memory lane". I almost wish I had spent the 225$US for the original that is now a classic and priced like one! What a waste of time and money!!!