Vol. 3, No. 10
November 17, 1997
Cover Story
Tom Wolfe's Bonfire Revisited
The novel that defined the eighties, ten years later.
By Andrew Ferguson
Also in This Issue
- What It All Means — Michael Barone
- Rudy Giuliani Wins Big — David Brooks
- Christie Whitman Wins Small — Tucker Carlson
This issue of The Weekly Standard featured Andrew Ferguson's reassessment of Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" a decade after its publication, exploring how the novel captured the spirit of the 1980s. The magazine's election coverage focused on the 1997 elections, with analysis from Michael Barone, David Brooks on Rudy Giuliani's victory, and Tucker Carlson on Christie Whitman's narrower win in New Jersey. Beyond the cover story, the issue addressed political matters including the "marriage penalty" in the tax code, campaign finance reform, and conservative columnist Jeff Jacoby's battles against criticism.