When the Going Was Good cover art

When the Going Was Good

An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

When the Going Was Good

By: Graydon Carter, James Fox - contributor
Narrated by: Graydon Carter
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £17.99

Buy Now for £17.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

When the Going Was Good is Graydon Carter's lively recounting of how he made his mark as one of society's most talented editors and shapers of culture. Carter arrived in New York from Canada with little more than a suitcase, a failed literary magazine in his past and a keen sense of ambition. He landed a job at Time, went on to work at Life, cofounded Spy magazine and edited The New York Observer before catching the eye of Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse, who tapped him to run Vanity Fair.

With his inimitable voice and raconteur's quip, Carter brings listeners inside the drawing rooms of the great and not-always-good of America, Britain and Europe. He assembled one of the best-ever stables of writers and photographers under one roof, and here he recreates in real time the steps he took to ensure that Vanity Fair during his 25-year run cemented its place as the epicentre of art, culture, business and politics. Charming, candid and brimming with humour, When the Going Was Good perfectly captures the last golden age of print magazines from the inside out.

©2025 Graydon Carter (P)2025 W. F. Howes Ltd.
Art & Literature Journalists, Editors & Publishers Social Sciences

Listeners also enjoyed...

Uptown Girl cover art
The Golden Hour cover art
Cellar Rat cover art
The Motherload cover art
Once upon a Time cover art
The Last Bell cover art
The World of the Cold War cover art
Erotic Vagrancy cover art
The Loves of My Life cover art
JFK Jr. cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
The tales were wonderful truly of a golden age. Has anyone considered making a film of the ongoing feud with Trump? Ryan Murphy or Will Ferrel would be my tips.

What’s not to love

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listening to Graydon Carter narrate the book was a real bonus to a fabulous fast paced listen

Wonderful stories with context and colour

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Enjoyed every minute. Very nice voice made listening a pleasure. Many well known people featured adding to the interest.

Interesting life story of a very talented man.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.