Conde Nast by Susan Ronald is a beautifully written biography of the life of an extraordinary man who built an empire that still operates today.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Susan Ronald's biography of Conde Nast is a beautifully written look at an intriguing man. The name Conde Nast to most is synonymous with the masthead of some of the world's most popular magazines, and it's easy to be unaware of the compelling man who started it all. As a lifelong lover of Vogue, I was thrilled to get a look at the man behind the empire, and his influence on the cultural leaders we love to this day.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A litte dry like other reviewers have noted but all in all a good memoir. I think we sometimes forget there is a person behind Conde Nast. We think of Conde Nast more as a thing than a person. If you like memoirs, you'll like this.

Conde Nast: The Man and His Empire- A Biography by Susan Ronald is a 2019 St. Martin’s Press publication.

It is hard to believe this is the first biography written about Conde Nast in over thirty years. I think many people may only associate his name with a brand and are either unaware of his history or have forgotten it was his hard work and foresight that influenced society within the pages of his magazine, both in the US and abroad, beginning in 1909, when he bought Vogue.

This is a comprehensive biography of Conde Nast and his vision, his influence on and his place in society. I found most of this history quite fascinating, especially as I am a huge fan of Vanity Fair magazine. The behind the scenes politics is pretty juicy stuff- sort of gossipy, if you will, and was all news to me, since it all took place way before my time.

Nast’s formidable competition was Randolph Hearst and the two warred it out for many years, with Conde holding his own quite nicely- until he hit a snag during the depression.

As engrossing as some of the power struggles, and clever business techniques could be, sections of the book were a bit dry and it was hard not to zone out or resist the urge to skim. The writing is thorough, maybe a bit too much, on occasion, but the author’s research stands out. While Conde Nast endured many personal and professional ups and downs, he is mostly portrayed in a positive light and author takes a soft approach with his life story.

This is an interesting biography which includes some little known, or thought of history, about the publishing business, and the way it evolved over time. Nast was smart, a hard worker, and didn’t abuse his wealth or power, but also made colossal missteps and suffered numerous health issues throughout his life.

If you are interested in publishing, history, or business, you might find this book intriguing. If you are a fan of Vogue or Vanity Fair- in particular- the influence and impressions Conde and his publications had on fashions and society, you will find this book of interest as well.

Although it is occasionally dry, the writing style keeps the pacing moving at a quick pace for a biography. I found it easy to read, despite so many names and events to keep track of.

Overall, the book is informative, interesting, and a compelling biography of Conde Nast- a visionary in the world of publishing.
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Susan Ronals did an incredible job of composing a phenomenal book about the life of the publishing magnate Conde Nast, the founder of Vogue, Glamour, Conde Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, and many more world's best-known magazines.

The book begins with a story of Nast family, their origin and background. Very early in the book, we find out that Conde has come from a broken family, however, it never reflected on his character. Opposit to his father, he remained close with his family, children and ex-wives.

From the first pages of the book, Conde's character showed affection to the circle of his friends and partners, dedication, fearfulness, honorable and strong will. He never has forgotten where he came from, and people who helped him succeed. Although, he was equitable with his frenemies and competitors.

It was very interesting to read about the way Conde has built and extended his publishing empire. He is a great example of a man who has been knocked down in personal and business lives, however no matter how hard the hit was - Conde always found ways to get back up. I'm fascinated by his life and accomplishments.

Thank you Susan Ronals for a remarkable story and introduction to the life of world's famous publishing mogul. And big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press publishing for a free and advanced copy of the book.

This is a fascinating biography of the great magazine publisher, who was a surprisingly charming and elegant man. It goes into great detail about his tough childhood, driving ambition, wonderful ability to spot talent and his marriages. He also had a huge fight with Randolph Hearst, his main competition.

Interesting characters, such as the femme fatale Claire Booth Luce, Edna Chase and Carmel Snow also fill its pages. The story which I really liked was how ambitious creative people had to meet Conde Nast by invitation or accidentally to get anywhere. Elizabeth Miller spotted him one day and he saved her from a traffic accident. She fainted in his arms and babbled uncontrollably when she came to, and he immediately saw that she epitomized the 'Modern Look'. Elizabeth Miller became... the famous war photographer Lee Miller.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this light-hearted and “gossipy” biography of Condé Nast, the renowned publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair. It’s well-researched, as all Ronald’s biographies are, and rattles along at a good pace. Nast was an interesting man, who, along with his rival William Randolph Hearst, was enormously influential in American magazine publishing, and I found it fascinating discovering how his media empire grew. He remains, nonetheless, a somewhat shadowy figure, not least because he didn’t seek the limelight, but he had a wide and varied social circle which included many of the great and the good of American, indeed world, society – from Dorothy Parker to Truman Capote to Coco Chanel – and they all come alive in the pages of this entertaining and informative book.

Condé Nast publisher of society magazines that all the elite read Vogue Vanity fair,His life as a member of high society who socialized and was one of the rich and famous lived a life most of us could only imagine.Competitor of Willam Randolph Hearts,This book was written with his family cooperation a fascinating well written book full of juicy gossip secrets highly recommend .#netgalley#st.martins.

This was an interesting book about a fascinating man and If you have never read about him, this is a great book to read giving a general overview of his life and more detail on the highlights of it..

I love memoirs and learning about successful people, but this was a little dry. Nevertheless, it was a great story and learning about the media icon.