The Official Preppy Handbook, 1980 (Archival Information)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had an original copy and it was my bible

But it was never meant to have anything to do with academics for crying out loud.

It was tennis and finishing and boarding schools and Speery topsides, monograms, LL Bean duck boots, duck phones, etc

Sweet Briar almost shut down completely from lack of funds and enrollment lags. Hopkins is all female too.

Let me guess : you are the same poster that turned to Vogue magazine for a historical article on “prestige” colleges (a fashion magazine) and now are going to a preppy parody book.

I suggest you look for academic literature.

In that the Preppy Handbook lacks any underlying literary work as its implicit basis, I wouldn't classify it as a parody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still have my original copy. This thread inspires me to re-read it, now that my kids are nearing college age.

The book was published before the Internet took off and before college rankings became so important. It was a time when people went to the schools their grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles attended and not where USN&WR said was “best”. Legacy status was huge.
Being preppy is also about working smart, not hard. No Prep wants to be considered a grind.

The book was satire, you realize?

Haven't you heard that there's "truth in satire"? It wasn't a complete work of fiction, for gosh sakes. Parody of reality.

[Anonymous]

Prep may have migrated more to the southeast and remains alive in the SEC. Georgia, 'Bama, Auburn, Clemson, Vandy, etc.

[Anonymous]

As a comment on the original source, NESCAC LACs were well represented, with six of the ten appearing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...and somehow, against all odds, hampden-Sydney survives! Churning out well behaved chubby boys for the past 200 years!

I had to look it up. I honestly had no idea all men’s colleges existed. Never crossed my mind.

Of course they do. Why wouldn't they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So funny. I knew a guy whose photo was in it. It was a joke and yet we were all quite serious about layering lacoste shirts one over the other.

I forgot about the layered look 😀

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still have my original copy. This thread inspires me to re-read it, now that my kids are nearing college age.

The book was published before the Internet took off and before college rankings became so important. It was a time when people went to the schools their grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles attended and not where USN&WR said was “best”. Legacy status was huge.
Being preppy is also about working smart, not hard. No Prep wants to be considered a grind.

existed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...and somehow, against all odds, hampden-Sydney survives! Churning out well behaved chubby boys for the past 200 years!

What a disturbing thing to say.

It’s anti male so it is okay!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP:

The author of the Handbook went to Brown.

Yes. Lisa Birnbach graduated from Brown University. She wrote a satirical guide to Prepdom that took off.

She is also not a born and bred WASP so she didn’t get everything right. Still, a lot of it is pretty close.

The book was a joke that people like you took seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I surprised that Reed was ever on the list. I do know preppies who went there but they were the serious druggies who dropped out to follow the Dead and are now carpenters in Oregon.

Yep. My nanny in Seattle (age ~55, white female) went to Reed. Is also an occasional glass artist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I surprised that Reed was ever on the list. I do know preppies who went there but they were the serious druggies who dropped out to follow the Dead and are now carpenters in Oregon.

Yep. My nanny in Seattle (age ~55, white female) went to Reed. Is also an occasional glass artist.

Steve Jobs went there - but didn’t graduate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I surprised that Reed was ever on the list. I do know preppies who went there but they were the serious druggies who dropped out to follow the Dead and are now carpenters in Oregon.

I knew preppies just like this, who followed the Dead and did things like open a river rafting guide business in Colorado. They were a little rebellious and iconoclastic and had enough money to float these endeavors. Many skiers too who pursued lives in places like Jackson Hole.

[Anonymous]

Being preppy was not cool in the 80’s or ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being preppy was not cool in the 80’s or ever.

said a plaid wearing gen x-er.

That book was great. My favorite part was the rules on s3x. Basically BJs only = prep. I think there were rules on all the way but blocked them out apparently.

[Anonymous]

That book was so much fun!