True Prep
At 21, Lisa Birnbach did not exactly know what she was getting into when she agreed to author The Official Preppy Handbook. What has since become a cult hit almost never was. Thirty something writers passed on the publishing company’s offer before Birnbach hesitantly took up the torch. Thirty years later, the forthcoming tome, True Prep, is set for release this fall. While the first book focused more on revealing the northeastern world behind the curtain, True Prep seeks to preach the best things bequeathed to America by the WASP establishment—grace, discipline and civic mindedness. The media frenzy surrounding the new book moved Birnbach’s publisher to order a publicity freeze until the book’s release; however, Birnbach did grant Ivy Style one last interview before the fall. Find out why she sees the need for a sequel, how the first book came to be, and why she now embraces polar fleece.
left a comment on 9/11/2010 at 1:43 AM:
I am a 38 year old Gen-Xer. I truly LOVED the original. I still have two copies of it, including a special hard case edition.
left a comment on 8/31/2010 at 3:27 PM:
As a graphic design student at Mass Art, we learned Chip Kidd was the holy grail of book designers. As a h.s. student in Michigan the 80s, the Preppy Handbook was a glimpse into another world (an ethnograpy of sorts) that seemed much better than the land-locked one to which I was confined. Anyway, LB + CK = I am very excited to get this. And major points for not being a cell fan, LB!
left a comment on 5/20/2010 at 1:51 PM:
My friends are going to crucify me for buying this… Oh well. Looks great!
left a comment on 5/20/2010 at 12:36 AM:
So excited for this new book! The OPH was great; but being born in 1991 it was a little too before my time to enjoy it as much as I may have if born earlier. I’m excited for the reissue of “Take Ivy” as well.
left a comment on 5/19/2010 at 10:11 PM:
This is what I love about Lisa Birnbach, she has fun with the “prep” label and doesn’t take it or herself too seriously. I can’t wait for the book. I have it on pre-order at Amazon already!
left a comment on 5/19/2010 at 3:55 PM:
Is that a book about how to be a true preppy from inside? I wanna read it.
left a comment on 5/19/2010 at 1:07 PM:
so excited for this next installment! friends bought me the official preppy handbook as a joke, as i was heading off to an all girls’ boarding school (which is ironically included in the official preppy handbook!). this next book will be lots of fun, i can tell.
Karl left a comment on 6/4/2011 at 7:34 AM:
I was also excited about its release. All of the political stuffing was useless and it fell short in many categories from the original. I still look through it from time to time but the original is the only one that matters for me.