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Stephen Birmingham
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Carey Birmingham
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The Grandes Dames Kindle Edition

by Stephen Birmingham (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 180 ratings
The acclaimed social historian provides an in-depth look at eight society women who shaped upper class culture from the Gilded Age to WWII.

Astor. Rockefeller. McCormick. Belmont. Family names that still adorn buildings, streets, and charity foundations. While their men blazed across America with their oil, industry, and railways, the matriarchs founded art museums, opera houses, and symphonies that functioned almost as private clubs. Linked by money, marriage, privilege, and power, these women formed a grand American matriarchy—and they ruled American society with a style and impact that make today’s socialites seem pale reflections of their forbears.

Stephen Birmingham takes us into the drawing rooms of these powerful women, providing keen insights into an American society that no longer exists. Caroline Astor, who, when asked for her fare boarding a streetcar, responded, “No thank you, I have my own favorite charities.” Edith “Effie” Stern deciding that no existing school would do for her child, so she had a new one built. And the legendary Isabella Stewart Gardner replying to a contemporary who was overly taken with their Mayflower ancestors: “Of course, immigration laws are much more strict nowadays.”

These women had looks, manner, and style, but more than that, they had presence—a sense that when one of them entered a room, something momentous was about to occur; Birmingham opens a window to the highest levels of American society with these profiles of American “royalty.”
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  1. Print length
    452 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  4. Publication date
    May 14, 2024
  5. File size
    10.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

An interesting and colorful account of [the] fabulous ladies whose sense of noblesse obligé and "personal theater" held sway from the 1880s to World War II. ― Library Journal

Crisply written...full of color, incident and character, and thoroughly entertaining, this book...goes down like a dozen oysters. ― Baltimore Sun

About the Author

Stephen Birmingham is a preeminent social historian, known for his books The Right People, Real Lace, and The Grandees. He allows his reader unparalleled access to the most exclusive society sets, and tells their stories with great warmth and wit.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D2895MB6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (May 14, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 14, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 452 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 180 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
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  1. Carey Birmingham

    Carey Birmingham

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    Stephen Birmingham was born in 1929 in Hartford, CT and graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1950.

    Mr. Birmingham was perhaps most noted for his worldwide best seller Our Crowd, published in 1967. The book, which has the subtitle A History of the Great Jewish Families of New York took over 18 months to research and write and, after publication, almost single-handedly created the literary genre of social histories. Our Crowd broke numerous records at its publication for, among other things, length of time on the NY Times Best Seller List, and confirmed Mr. Birmingham’s preeminence in the social history genre. Subsequently, he wrote several other books in the genre, including The Right People: A Portrait of the American Social Establishment, The Grandees: America’s Sephardic Elite, Real Lace: America’s Irish Rich, and Certain People: America’s Black Elite, among others.

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  2. Stephen Birmingham

    Stephen Birmingham

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Stephen Birmingham (1929–2015) was an American author of more than thirty books. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he graduated from Williams College in 1953 and taught writing at the University of Cincinnati. Birmingham’s work focuses on the upper class in America. He’s written about the African American elite in Certain People and prominent Jewish society in Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York, The Grandees: The Story of America’s Sephardic Elite, and The Rest of Us: The Rise of America’s Eastern European Jews. His work also encompasses several novels including The Auerbach Will, The LeBaron Secret, Shades of Fortune, and The Rothman Scandal, and other non-fiction titles such as California Rich, The Grandes Dames, and Life at the Dakota: New York’s Most Unusual Address.

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
180 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book interesting to read, with one noting it provides an entertaining look at social history. The book receives positive feedback for its historical content, with one customer highlighting how it offers a fascinating glimpse into less-known women.

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13 customers mention "Readability"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and enjoyable to read, with one customer noting it provides an entertaining look at class and era, while another describes it as highly recommended reading on social history.

"Very interesting book about the wealthy women of the late 19th and early 20th century...." Read more

"A very interesting book. A slice of American History that we don’t often get." Read more

"...A very good book to cozy up to when you are trying to get your mind off of a bad day. I highly recommend it." Read more

"Most all books by Birmingham are good reads. This one didnt disappoint!" Read more

6 customers mention "History"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical content of the book, with one review highlighting its focus on less-known women from a bygone era, while another notes it provides great biographies of rich Americans who left a mark on society.

"A very interesting book. A slice of American History that we don’t often get." Read more

"This book is about an oft overlooked group in women's history. Their decisions carved out the Eastern Sea Board...." Read more

"These are women from a bygone era. They were all change agents in their own way, in spite of the cultural restrictions...." Read more

"Great biographies of rich Americans who actually also contributed in major ways to helping those less fortunate" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Mary Jane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book about the wealthy women of the late ...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting book about the wealthy women of the late 19th and early 20th century. It gave meaning to flesh out people I’d heard of, but did not know why they were well known, how they acquired their money, and what these philantropists did with it. Fascinating!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Ann A. McDonnell
    4.0 out of 5 stars Indeed Grand
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    A very interesting book. A slice of American History that we don’t often get.
    One person found this helpful
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  • VRS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting reading.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book to be interesting, fascinating, and absorbing. A very good book to cozy up to when you are trying to get your mind off of a bad day. I highly recommend it.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Mano
    3.0 out of 5 stars Wealth doesnt always bring happiness.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Most all books by Birmingham are good reads. This one didnt disappoint!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Tara
    4.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating
    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book is about an oft overlooked group in women's history. Their decisions carved out the Eastern Sea Board. Their contributions to museums and charity were invaluable. And they were a bunch of plucky broads who usually got their way..of course having money helped. But they had interesting stories and personalities. The over the top decadence was hard to read especially during the depression. But history is to be learned and learned from, not glossed over or swept under the rung and this was an informative and almost entirely entertaining look at the class and era. Worth your money and your time.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • poet ancient
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent pre-owned book
    Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great shape for a pre-owned book. beat my expectations. Addendum : As I read it, I found that the spine is torn in 2 places and the pages are completely separated from the spine and frankly are loose in both these places. This caught me by surprise and only became noticeable when I reach the places where the pages were not adhering. I can read it by using rubber bands to hold the pages in place. I had thought that this would go into my library, but frankly it is going to go in the trash.
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  • Nancy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I'm reading it now and enjoying it very much.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lisa Christianson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Entertaining
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    These are women from a bygone era. They were all change agents in their own way, in spite of the cultural restrictions. I really enjoyed the pictures that were included. They help add context. I also appreciated that I knew very little about these women beforehand. A very entertaining read
    3 people found this helpful
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