The Hipster Handbook
The Hipster Handbook (2003) is a satirical guide to hipster culture by Williamsburg, Brooklyn author Robert Lanham.
 Cover of first Anchor Books edition (paperback) | |
| Author | Robert Lanham |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Humor |
| Publisher | Anchor Books (a division of Random House |
Publication date | 2003 |
| Media type | paperback (first edition) |
| Pages | 169 pp (first edition paperback) |
| ISBN | 1-4000-3201-6 (first edition paperback) |
| OCLC | 50554281 |
| 818/.602 21 | |
| LC Class | PN6165 .L36 2003 |
It includes a lexicon of words such as "deck" which means "cool" and "fin" which means "not so cool", as well as chapters that describe and explain all that which makes up a hipster. A quiz in the back of the book rates readers on their level of hipsterdom, rewarding high scores to those who answer the questions in the manner of art school students and well-cultured, well-dressed, self-proclaimed hyper-intellectuals. Esquire called the book "The Official Preppy Handbook for people who wear Atari T-shirts."[1]
Critical reception
Reviews were mixed. Rick Marin, of the New York Times, gave it a favorable review, though he pointed out "much of the hipsterism he sanctions seems pretty mainstream, even if it is being 'appropriated'...Such quibbles, though, won't penetrate the protective pomo coating on Lanham's mirrored shades."[2] Ben McGrath, of Slate, described the book as "so comprehensive and so well-done that only a poseur could criticize it without tongue in cheek."[3] Others have criticized the "veiled hostility" and "aura of trying too hard."[4][5][6]
A sequel was published in 2004: Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees and Other Creatures Unique to the Republic.[7]
See also
References
- "The Hipster Handbook(Paperback)". Retrieved 2008-08-23.
- The Good, the Bad and the Frado. by Rick Marin. Nytimes.com. Accessed 7 June 2010
- "The New Handbook for Hipsters." by Ben McGrath. From Slate.com. Accessed 7 June 2010.
- "Book Review: The Hipster Handbook Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine." by Rae Licari. From Gateway. Accessed 7 June 2010.
- "Your Life: Highly Classified." by Hank Stuever. Washington Post. Accessed 7 June 2010.
- Hipster Handbook Review. from Enjoy Your Style. Accessed 7 June 2010.
- Lanham, Robert (2004). Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees and Other Creatures Unique to the Republic. Plume. ISBN 0452285623.