The Bonfire of the Vanities

An exhilarating satire of Eighties excess, The Bonfire of the Vanities captures the effervescent spirit of New York, penned by one of the greatest writers of modern American prose.

The Story

Sherman McCoy, a WASP, bond trader, and self-proclaimed "Master of the Universe," seems to have it all:

• A fashionable wife
• A luxurious Park Avenue apartment
• A Southern mistress

But his spectacular fall begins with a hit-and-run accident in the Bronx. From that moment, prosecutors, newspaper hacks, politicians, and clergy close in, determined to bring him down.

Why Read This Book?

Exuberant, scandalous, and exceptionally discerning, The Bonfire of the Vanities was Tom Wolfe's first venture into fiction. It cemented his reputation as the foremost chronicler of his age.

Praise for The Bonfire of the Vanities

• "The air of New York crackles with an energy that causes the adrenalin to pump… The feeling is perfectly reproduced in Wolfe's novel… Electric" – Sunday Times
• "The quintessential novel of The Eighties" – The Guardian