Culturebox: Muffy Adores Synchilla

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culturebox Muffy Adores Synchilla Taking the new Preppy Handbook for a test drive. By Mark Oppenheimer Posted Monday, Aug. 30, 2010, at 3:58 PM ET This September sees the publication of Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd's True Prep, a sequel to Birnbach's The Preppy Handbook, which according to the New York Times has sold 1.3 million copies since 1981. I was not one of those 1.3 million--I bought my copy years later in a used bookstore--but I read that thing constantly for months, joined the cult, earned the T-shirt (pardon me, the polo shirt). And I've spent too many hours thinking about how I would update Birnbach's funny and too-true dissection of the world of Lacoste, squash, and boarding schools. The good news is that Birnbach, who more recently has written less scholarly works (like 1,003 Great Things To Smile About), and Kidd, well-known as book-jacket designer, novelist, and natty dresser, have produced a book as witty as, and more thorough than, the original. The sad news is the way their effort suggests that prepdom is irrelevant. To continue reading, click here. Mark Oppenheimer is the author of Wisenheimer, a memoir about his childhood and prep-school debating career. He is an editor of the New Haven Review and writes the biweekly Beliefs column for the New York Times. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Don't Ridicule Glenn Beck's Tribute to MLK. Celebrate It. A Quarter of Zimbabwe's Population Has Fled to South Africa The Secret Internet Back Door That You Should Be Very Afraid Of	Advertisement
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