The Gilded Age is one of the most delightfully escapist shows on television, a gorgeously decadent costume drama set among the high-society elites of late 19-century New York. Sure, it’s a little over the top, but it’s also a great time—much like the era of history in which it is set. Historically speaking, the period from the late 1870s to the late 1890s was marked by tremendous excess, as newly successful industrialists made fortunes that saw them rub shoulders (and butt heads) with the more established old money families who controlled the city’s social circles. (Things weren’t all that great for the working class in this period, but at least these excessively rich types spend their money funding the arts!)
But if you just can’t get enough of all society sniping, social maneuvering and gorgeous, gorgeous gowns, we’re here to help. Here are our recommendations for seven books that dive into the world of the Gilded Age.
The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
If the name Daisy Goodwin feels familiar, it’s probably because she’s the creator of the popular period drama Victoria, which ran for three seasons on ITV and PBS’s Masterpiece. But in addition to being a screenwriter, she’s also a successful novelist, with four New York Times bestselling books under her belt.
The American Heiress (titled My Last Duchess outside the U.S. and Canada) features the sort of lush period details and social scandal that makes for an entertaining ride. The story follows the appropriately named Cora Cash, a Newport belle and the spoiled daughter of a nouveau riche American family who, like many women of her era, heads to England in search of a husband with a title. One slightly embarrassing hunting accident later, she’s engaged to the handsome ninth duke of Wareham and getting married in the sort of finery that headlines gossip magazines. But life as a duchess is more difficult than Cora expected, and she’ll have to figure out how to craft her own happy ending.
Belle Greene: A Novel by Alexandra Lapierre; translated by Tina Kover
This historical fiction novel recounts the intriguing true-life story of Belle da Costa Greene, the woman who managed and directed the personal library of J.P. Morgan, ultimately acquiring rare books, manuscripts, and other items for his collection throughout Europe. And she did it all while trying to keep a secret that could have ruined her life: She was Black and passing for white.
Lapierre’s deeply researched novel carefully balances the world of high-stakes auctions among the early 20th-century elite and the ever-simmering threat that her family’s heritage will be exposed. An intriguing look at a remarkable, if infrequently remembered woman who spent most of her life working to preserve history while actively trying to repress her own.
The Glitter And The Gold: The American Duchess—In Her Own Words by Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
The character of Gladys Russell, the new Duchess Of Buckingham in The Gilded Age, is at least partially based on real-life historical socialite Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married the 9th Duke Of Marlborough in 1895. But if you’re curious about the true story of Consuelo’s life, you can find out about it from the Duchess directly, who published a memoir in 1953.
The Glitter And The Gold is sadly lacking in some of the salacious gossip and emotional details we most want to know about—its author is purposefully reticent about the details of her marriage, for example. It’s nevertheless a vivid portrait of a moment in history when women—even the wealthiest of them—had few choices about their futures. Her surprisingly forthright accounting of the ways she was manipulated by her mother, who wanted a grand match for her daughter at all costs, is worth the price of admission.
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
One of the best things about The Gilded Age is the way the show has made an effort to highlight the history of the Black upper class in 19th-century New York society, and this young adult novel will appeal to anyone who wishes that Peggy Scott could get some more screen time.
Set in 1910s Chicago, the book revolves around the eponymous Davenport family, who made their fortune when former enslaved patriarch William founded the Davenport Carriage Company. One of the few Black families with immense wealth and status, William’s children—Olivia, John, and Helen—must learn to navigate life in the public eye, finding purpose and love along the way. The deftly written story tackles everything from racism, classism, and gender norms to familial expectations about the lives these young people are supposed to live. Sequel The Davenports: More Than This continues their stories.
The Social Graces by Renee Rosen
As anyone who watches The Gilded Age can tell you, half the fun of the show can be found in its extensive society rivalries, colorful feuds between New York’s elite about everything from party invitations to competing opera companies. That’s the vibe that fuels Renee Rosen’s The Social Graces, a historical fiction novel that dramatizes the very real feud between old-money queen Caroline Astor (of “The Four Hundred” fame) and upstart newcomer Alma Vanderbilt, whose battle for social supremacy in the 1880s looked a lot like the one that takes place between Bertha Russell and pretty much everyone else on the show. The chapters narrated by a Greek chorus-esque gaggle of society women observing the drama between the two women are particularly well done.
The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe
This charming historical romance from megapopular author Joanna Shupe is a loose retelling that takes its inspiration from Don Bluth’s 1997 film Anastasia, but it includes real-life figures from the world of Gilded Age Manhattan and a surprisingly realistic depiction of the extreme wealth inequality of the time period. It follows a con man who, after discovering a street busker who bears a striking resemblance to the kidnapped daughter of a wealthy socialite, decides to collect the reward money by passing her off as a long-lost heiress. Josie, an orphan, is wary, but ultimately agrees, and because this is a romance novel, the pair’s promise to keep their relationship strictly professional isn’t kept for very long. A bit on the steamy side, but both the banter and the chemistry between the characters are top-notch.
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
Fiona Davis is known for her sumptuously written historical novels whose recent works have revolved around real landmarks such as The New York Public Library (The Lions Of Fifth Avenue) and Radio City Music Hall (The Spectacular). The Magnolia Palace takes place in the Henry Clay Frick House, a mansion and museum on Fifth Avenue that is home to one of the best art collections in the world.
Told across two timelines and driven by a search for a missing (sadly fictional) pink diamond, the story follows two very different women: Lillian, who becomes a personal secretary to Helen, Frick’s spinster daughter in 1919, and Vanessa, a model doing a Vogue photoshoot at the museum in 1966 who is stuck there after a particularly bad snowstorm. Come for the excellent blend of fact, fiction, and some rather detailed art and architectural history, stay for the fascinating portrayals of the Frick family and their complex relationships.
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