A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life

A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life — Slim Aarons. Harper & Row, 1974. First Edition, First Printing. Printed in Italy. Book: Fine. Dust Jacket: Good (Skillfully Repaired). A magnificent and highly collectible photographic portrait of wealth, elegance, privilege, and high society during the mid-twentieth century. In this celebrated large-format volume, renowned photographer Slim Aarons offers an extraordinary intimate glimpse into the lives of American and international aristocracy, prominent families, celebrated personalities, and the social elite. Lavishly illustrated with superb glossy photographic reproductions, including spectacular full-page and double-page photographs, the book documents an exclusive world of magnificent estates, luxurious residences, private gatherings, elegant debutante balls, polo matches, yachting competitions, and fashionable resorts. Featured personalities include John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Clark Gable, Truman Capote, Salvador Dalí, Cole Porter, Cecil Beaton, T. S. Eliot, Noël Coward, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and members of the Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Astor, Whitney, Ford, and Chrysler families. Photographic locations include Newport, Palm Beach, New York City, Vermont, Boston, Long Island, Washington, D.C., the Bahamas, and Jamaica. Photographs dating from the 1950s through subsequent decades capture a fascinating era of American and international society. BOOK CONDITION: FINE. First edition, first printing, 1974. Printed in Italy. Exceptionally well-preserved original blue boards with sharp corners, clean edges, and a straight, undamaged spine. Brilliant, sparkling gilt lettering on the front board and spine retains its striking reflective finish. No observable bumped corners or structural defects. Interior pages and photographic reproductions are beautifully preserved. Cream-colored endpapers and preliminary pages. DUST JACKET: GOOD, SKILLFULLY REPAIRED. Complete original illustrated dust jacket, unclipped, with no printed price. Retains its attractive glossy finish, vivid photographic cover illustration, and excellent overall presentation. Previous repairs include substantial interior tape reinforcement along portions of the upper edge, spine, and flap folds. Repairs are discreet and not readily visible when the jacket is fitted to the book. No exterior tape or missing pieces. Minor creasing along the upper rear edge, slight upper-corner wear, and modest age-related discoloration. All repairs are disclosed and photographed. Despite its technical Good grade, the jacket presents exceptionally well. BONUS MARILYN MONROE MEMORABILIA: Accompanying the book is a separate, full-page 1999 Mikimoto cultured-pearl advertisement featuring a beautiful black-and-white photograph of Marilyn Monroe wearing Mikimoto pearls in 1954. Titled “Legendary Pearls,” this advertisement was discovered tucked inside the book when purchased and is being included with the sale. Its dimensions are consistent with a period issue of Vogue or Vanity Fair, although the exact magazine has not been established. Included as a loose insert; not original to the 1974 publication. An increasingly sought-after first edition of Slim Aarons's celebrated photographic masterpiece. A remarkable visual record of mid-century society, fashion, wealth, celebrity, and leisure. Particularly appealing in this beautifully preserved Fine condition, accompanied by its complete original dust jacket and additional Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. A remarkable glimpse into the Golden Age of Hollywood, the political Camelot of the Kennedys, and the opulent world of America's aristocratic elite. Through Slim Aarons's extraordinary photographs, a gilded era is preserved for posterity—a world of elegance, privilege, and grandeur we shall never see again.…