book data
189 ratings,
4.25
average rating, 30 reviews
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published
October 1980
by Workman Publishing
binding
Paperback, 224 pages
isbn
0894801406
(isbn13: 9780894801402)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 244)
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5 stars (98)
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4 stars (49)
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3 stars (34)
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2 stars (7)
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1 star (1)
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avg 4.25
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Totally useful for those who either live in New England, or ever want to visit there.
Or just want a good giggle.
Or both.
Or just want a good giggle.
Or both.
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Read in January, 1985
I don't know when I first got my hands on this book, though I can't remember life without it. This handbook was my crack during those all-too-awkward pre-teen years. To this day I'm sure my overwhelming knowledge of East Coast boarding schools circa 1984 is disconcerting for those to whom it is somehow revealed, but you give an unbelievably gifted and imaginative ten-year-old girl copies of The Catcher and the Rye, A Separate Peace, and the Preppy Handbook and dare her not to dream.
I...more
I...more
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A satire which also has been used as a guide for those who aspire for preppydom.
Who knew wearing Izod polo shirts and canvas belts with Topsiders made me a preppy?
Who knew wearing Izod polo shirts and canvas belts with Topsiders made me a preppy?
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I'm not really sure I would recommend this book to anyone, even though it is seriously one of the funniest things I have ever read. But I think it's so funny to me because of growing up in Preppyland, aka Highland Park. I don't know if it would have the same appeal if I grew up somewhere else. But I think Kristi and Kerri would appreciate one particular part of the book, since they knew me in college. "Prep school nurtures the skills that will enable you to slide effortlessly through co...more
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Both funny and true. Good for a writer researching a character type or a time period of American culture.
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A fun, highly readable satire that can easily be read as part guide, part prep Bible. Its pages detail the life of a prep from childhood to old age, and are very accurate in its observations and descriptions. Prep school and the College years are perhaps the most fleshed out, and the section attire--while very 80s--has not changed much and is now undergoing a Renaissance of sorts in the 21st century. This is an excellent, hilarious take on one of the most visible undercurrents of society.
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Read in January, 1983
recommends it for:
culture vultures of the 80s
Needless to say I loved this book. Read in High school and enjoyed it (both satirically as well as an ersatz fashion guide). I admit to thinking the life of the preppy was a bit cool...polo (the real thing with horses not the brand), izod shirts, and of course topsiders.
After a year or two the topsiders were replaced with Doc Martins, but the button down oxford shirt didn't get out of my wardrobe for another 10 years!
After a year or two the topsiders were replaced with Doc Martins, but the button down oxford shirt didn't get out of my wardrobe for another 10 years!
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Read in January, 1982
I vividly remember buying and reading this book in 1982 when I was a junior in high school and yearned for all things madras. Yes, I am an original preppy handbook fan! It was and still is a beginners guide to prepdom. Hilarious. I added it to my list this week when I found my original 25 year old copy of the book in my 15 year old daughter's stack of books. The legacy lives on.....
Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
Jessie/Neal
This book is as dry as a bottle of IPA in Nantucket. It really does explain the duck motif decorating obsession of my parents and the years they dressed me in knee socks and whale print turtlenecks. Ideally, read this one with The WASP Cookbook by Alexandra Wentworth. You'll never see the Head of the Charles the same way :)
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It's all about the upper class - where they go to school, how they party in college, how they start their life after school, how they get married, their favorite activities and where they spend the summer. Interesting and fun.
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Read in July, 2006
My most prep friend Caity told me about this book in 2004 and it had been on my radar since then. The Official Preppy Handbook is top drawer. It's funny and clever.
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This book ruled my world in junior high! I have a feeling that it would still be pretty damn funny today, even though I haven't worn a shirt with an alligator in decades.
I pick up this book every year or so because it captures my high school and college's cultures so perfectly. A fun book for preppies who enjoy laughing at themselves.
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Read in January, 2002
Given that this was published nearly 30 years ago, it's almost hystically ridiculous. Does the Burberry print have to match the purse, belt and shoes?
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Read in April, 2008
The five star rating goes without saying! Never have truer words been written about being a preppy.
I also recommend Tipsy in Madras.
I also recommend Tipsy in Madras.
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Read in May, 2007
Basically, my life's handbook.
Love that it's so tongue in cheek. I can dress like the Smith Point crowd while relentlessly mocking them.
Love that it's so tongue in cheek. I can dress like the Smith Point crowd while relentlessly mocking them.
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Relive the eighties with the Preppy Handbook! All those monograms and wooden handled purses. So dated and so entertaining.
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A must have classic if you enjoy all things concerning boat shoes and monogrammed sweaters. Reminds me of my brother.
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i picked it up after seeing the hipster handbook. i skimmed through it and found it pretty amusing.
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read & lived it in the 80's--still own my original copy though I pay more for lacoste & tretorn...
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