Hollywood, Another View
Bridget Kinsella -- 6/26/00
 | | Vanity Fair's first book in 18 years. |
Unfettered and impressed with the process of publishing Vanity Fair's Hollywood with Viking Studio, the magazine's editor Graydon Carter told PW he'd like to produce a book every two years. In fact, there are two more projects in the works with Viking Studio, but don't expect much advance information about their content. One of the most amazing things about VF's Hollywood is how the magazine known for revealing all about so many was able to keep its own book project under wraps for four years. "I wanted to finish it first, get it to the publisher complete and know it was great before I Iet the world know about it," said Carter. VF staff mined its vast archive and various art collections for materials to feature in this 300-page, $60 illustrated gift book due to hit the stores in October. Carter, who is co-editor of the book with David Friend, provided the foreword, Dominick Dunne wrote the afterword, and the book includes text by Christopher Hitchens. It is a word-and-image chronicle of Hollywood history. The magazine, which dates back to 1913, "is almost as old as the movies," said Carter. "Working with Graydon and the people over there has been a dream, and that's not always the case with magazines," said Phyllis Grann, president and CEO of Viking parent company Penguin Putnam "He gets it. He knows what it takes to make a book and sell it." Viking plans a 50,000 first printing, "but it'll blow way past that," she added. A key part of the promotional program for VF'sHollywood is Carter himself. "I don't usually go on TV or do things like that," he said, adding that he prefers to keep whatever anonymity he can. But he is already booked for the Today Show and Jay Leno and, according to a VF publicist, there will be more to come. "At least the book gives me something to talk about," Carter said. Back To News---> |
