Glamour: An Extraordinary History

A visually captivating history of the evolution of Glamour magazine and the brand’s legendary decades at the forefront of female empowerment in an incredible photographic volume.

For more than 80 years, Glamour has been the preeminent women’s empowerment brand in America. But until now, no one has told the extraordinary story of its origins, the famous names who helped shape the magazine into the global powerhouse it is today, and Glamour’s many historic firsts. Glamour was the first American fashion magazine to feature a Black cover star, the first to present Gloria Steinem’s writing, and the first to feature groundbreaking reporting on reproductive rights.

In a gripping journey, follow the group of women editors and journalists who spearheaded the magazine as World War II transformed the female landscape—with over 7.5 million working women suddenly in the US workforce in 1940—and repositioned the title from charting Hollywood glamour to the magazine “for the girl with a job.” It became, in the words of Condé Nast himself, “a periodical devoted to the life of our day.”

Chronicled visually and narratively through historic and modern-day Glamour covers, stunning photographs, editorial features, and never-before-seen correspondence from the Condé Nast archives, Glamour: An Extraordinary History will chart the evolution of the magazine from its inception just months before World War II began in 1939 (Glamour was the only magazine created by Condé Nast himself) to today as an unparalleled testament to trailblazing women.