Schott's Miscellany 11 February 2009
SOCIAL REGISTER
Founded in 1886, the Social Register claims to be "among America's oldest and most distinguished private associations" and "the only reliable and the most trusted, arbiter of Society in America." Twice a year (summer and winder) the register publishes a list of the association's membership (c.25,000), with contact information, club and college affiliations, births, debuts, engagements, marriages, and deaths. (The summer edition handily lists yachts and their owners.) Those desirous of inclusion in the register are "required to furnish letters of recommendation from several families already listed." The 2006 edition included Brooke Astor, the Clintons, and Bush père et fils--but not Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, or Rudy Giuliani.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)