Society as I Have Found It

Ward McAllister was the man who invented 'The Four Hundred' - the elite circle of New York society tight enough to fit in Mrs. Astor's ballroom. He ran in those circles, curated them, believed in them utterly. Then he wrote this book. Society as I Have Found It is a fearless memoir that dissects the glittering absurdity of Gilded Age high society from the inside out. McAllister names names, exposes the ridiculous hierarchies, the social climbers, the hollow ceremonies, and the ruthless exclusions that kept the elite elite. The result? He was cast out entirely - blacklisted by the very crowd he'd celebrated and then betrayed. Mark Twain called it 'one of the most humorous books I ever read' and reportedly tried to write a satire before realizing some things cannot be improved. This is gossip with consequences, social criticism wrapped in period wit, and a document of how the American upper class has always eaten its own.