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

Vanity Fair is the monthly magazine that Graydon Carter edited for 25 years. The magazine is owned by Condé Nast and did its first run from 1913 to 1936—at that time the magazine was called Dress and Vanity Fair. In 1936, Vanity Fair folded after receiving ridicule for its failure to take the spread of fascism in Europe seriously pre-World War II. In 1983, Si Newhouse (owner of Advance Publications and Condé Nast) relaunched Vanity Fair. He brought on Carter as the magazine’s new editor-in-chief in 1992. When Carter first took the position, he worried that he’d fail to revitalize the magazine the way Si imagined. However, with Si’s trust he found his footing in the Condé Nast world and brought the magazine back to life—this time with a more aware cultural and political eye. During his time as editor, the magazine gained recognition and became a renowned voice in the industry, in New York, and internationally. Carter edited the magazine until his retirement in 2017. Radhika Jones took over as editor-in-chief at that time.