author
Frederick Townsend Martin
1849–1914
Born into New York high society, this sharp-eyed memoirist turned his attention to the lives and habits of the very rich—and to the people they often overlooked. His writing mixes insider detail with a surprisingly strong social conscience.
1 Audiobook
The Passing of the Idle Rich
by Frederick Townsend Martin
About the author
Raised in a wealthy New York family, Frederick Townsend Martin became known as a writer, social figure, and outspoken advocate for the poor. He moved comfortably in elite American and European circles, yet he was also remembered for criticizing the emptiness and excess he saw among the idle rich.
His best-known books include The Passing of the Idle Rich and Things I Remember. The first is a pointed social critique from someone who knew the upper class from the inside; the second is a memoir filled with observations about society in the United States and Europe.
That mix of privilege, skepticism, and reforming energy gives his work its lasting interest. He wrote as an insider who had little patience for vanity, which makes his books feel both historical and unexpectedly direct.