"Parties are the nightly ritual of sophisticated society. I find it fascinating that Truman Capote"s famous Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1966 has become one of those legendary parties that exemplifies the ritual as a part of social and literary history. How beautifully Bedorah Davis has recounted the creation and execution of Truman"s ball in minute and dishy detail. The ball marked the very peak of his dazzling literary career and the beginning of the literary downfall from which he never recovered. I knew Truman, and I was riveted by Davis"s book." Dominick Dunne, author of The Two Mrs. Grenvilles and An Inconvenient Woman "Deborah Davis captures a crystal moment in time with all the elegance and irony it deserves. A black and white truffle of a book; delicious." Jane Stanton Hitchcock, author of One Dangerous Lady and Social Crimes "In this...