When the Going Was Good: An Editor’s Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines

Carter, longtime editor of Vanity Fair, has written a chronicle of his life in publishing that is a microcosm of the last 50 years of upscale American magazines. Opening with an excellent chapter on working for the Canadian railway as a teenager, the book details how he left college and started The Canadian Review in 1973. He wrote for Time and Life before cocreating the satirical and biting Spy in the 1980s, eventually becoming the very successful editor of Vanity Fair for 25 years. He chronicles the industry and its people with deep love and affection, and it’s a story of discovering one’s passion, persistence, and undeniably being in the right place at the right time. A book about magazines and publishing requires a healthy amount of name-dropping, and Carter does not disappoint. As one would expect, his writing is engaging and entertaining, yet while there is absolutely nothing wrong with being successful or excelling in one’s field, the book often feels like it was written for his wealthy friends. One feels a certain type of assumed privilege has always surrounded him.