Rating: 
Summary: HEY, SKIPPY, TELL MYRNEY TO COME LOOK AT THIS BOOK.
Review: .
Many years ago I devoured this book and still enjoy browsing through it. Lisa Birnbach knew whereof she spoke. Her book is lighthearted, a riot to read, and so right! She brought back many zany, fun memories. Preppy is a way of life that can't be adequately explained with words; it has to be experienced for full understanding, but this book comes close. My only quibble is that some of the cars described as properly preppy were chosen from a northeastern preppy perspective. But that's O.K. because most of the preppy schools are (or were) in the northeast. I fear things are changing and true preppydom is in danger of fading because of political correctness, dumbed-down testing, and deemphasis on social graces and academic excellence. Like aother reviewer, I too attended Highland Park High School near Dallas, graduating in the class of 1948. The Official Preppy Handbook could have been passed off as our official behavioral protocol because it fit us to a T. We had our Buffy's, Skippy's, Myrney's, and Tootie's. We partied at the Dallas Country Club and shopped at Nieman's. The social crazyness described by Birnbach disguised a firm underlying commitment to excellence later in life. Our graduates went on to become Olympic Gold Medalists, military Generals, Nobel Prize winners, and leaders of industry and government. The official Preppy Handbook will forever occupy a favored spot on my bookshelf because it brings back so many memories. Even if you don't identify with preppy this is a fun read, and for the non-preppies it has lots of pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the greatest book ever
Review: An ex high school girlfriend originally showed me this book and it suddenly all made sense to me. Why I wore polo shirts with the collar up, why I didn't wear socks with my shoes, and why I only wore cuffed khakis. Having gone to prep school and totally enjoyed it I found this book dead acurate. Some may think it's a tad dated, but in my crowd things haven't changed. We all still wear our collars up and our khakis cuffed. Now going to a college that is not very preppy (I'm ashamed to admit), my friends who are preppy are forced to keep it alive. We certainly stand out, but then you really cares. I wouldn't dress or act any other way. Thank god for Brooks Brothers, J-Press, and all the other great stores mentioned in the book. Not only that, but the explanation that "summer" is in fact a verb is so key. It would be nice to see an updated version though.
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Summary: Southern Prep
Review: As a southern prep, I can certainly note differences in the typical northeastern (birth of preppy/typical preppy) life compared to the Southern Prep life. However, I cannot forget the day I received my copy of the book from my Dad. It says "A vintage copy of YOUR handbook, Dad, 1992," and boy was that true! I opened it and despite its 1980 publication date it accurately described my private high school in Atlanta! Amazing! And then it went on to describe "The First Apartment", "Getting Married", and "The Tailgate Picnic", all of which were hilarously true. "A prep wedding takes a whole weekend" being entirely TOO true; southern wedding + prep wedding = much more than a weekend. By the way, the "where the preps are" section is oddly still somwhat appropriate for Atlanta, my hometown, although the nightlife has changed quite a bit. I must mention that most of the photos are very funny, as they are obviously of the 1980s time and not current. This adds to the flair. This book should absolutely be republished, with a more current focus. If I had enough money I would make this happen. And I would definitely include the Southern Prep as well as the Mod Prep. Please contact me if you are interested in a collaborative effort!
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Summary: timeless
Review: As a teenage tourist who frequented the U.S. during the early eighties, a copy of Lisa Birnbach's TOPH was a guide to the world of preparatory schools, Ivy league and Brooks Brothers.This book was fun to read as it revealed the core of the American upperclass system. A journey from the crib, prep school, country club life to the Prep Pantheon without missing a beat.This book from the eighties is truly timeless
Rating:
Summary: timeless
Review: As a teenage tourist who frequented the U.S. during the early eighties, a copy of Lisa Burnbach's TOPH was a guide to the world of preparatory schools, Ivy League and Brooks Brothers. This book was fun to read as it revealed the core of the American upperclass system . A journey from the crib, prep school,country club life to the Prep Parthenon without missing a beat. This book from the eighties is truly timeless.
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Summary: Lived it, Loved it
Review: As a teenager during the preppy days, I not only owned this book, but my high school was listed as one of the preppiest in the nation. It's nice to see that 20 years later the book is still around. I bought a fresh new copy for my collection and it is still a wonderful "handbook" explaining all the nuances of being preppy and privleged.
Rating:
Summary: like prep, a classic
Review: Cardigans carelessly draped over shoulders, Pappagalo, little children who wear no jewelry, not even watches, because "Nanny knows what time it is." A wonderful tribute to the days when Abercrombie & Fitch was not the classless chainstore it is today. The clothing section alone is a primer in timeless quality. And it's always fun to practice Locust Valley lockjaw with friends.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Extemely accurate description is now a sort of litmus test for the modern preppy: if you think that boat shoes, polo shirts with upturned collars, and cuffed khakis are "dated"... then you are not a preppy! That is the whole point. True, MOST people do not dress like this. But MOST people are not described by this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Extemely accurate description is now a sort of litmus test for the modern preppy: if you think that boat shoes, polo shirts with upturned collars, and cuffed khakis are "dated"... then you are not a preppy! That is the whole point. True, MOST people do not dress like this. But MOST people are not described by this book.
Rating:
Summary: TOP DRAWER
Review: I absolutely LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this book (said squarely with lock-jowed teeth)! This book is great I stole my older sister's copy shortly after she got it. It was in my backpack nearly everyday from 7th grade til 9th. I used to be able to quote page and verse... then we moved to Texas where I had to hide my preppy heritage until collage them it came back out with a vengeance! Still have this well dog eared book on my bookself today. By the by the Bloody Mary Recipe contained in the book is fabulous!
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