'Hamptons Private'

Long synonymous with luxury and the high life, the Hamptons has earned its place as a retreat for the glitterati with its poolside soirées, grandiose waterfront estates and endless beach days. Initially the summer haunt of English settlers, the forty miles of rolling sand dunes soon became an escapes for the Fords and Vanderbilts of the world, who then made room for creatives like John Steinbeck, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, followed by the contemporary A-listers — Jay-Z, Calvin Klein and Martha Stewart amongst them — who now own homes here. Assouline's 'Hamptons Private' offers an unrestricted glimpse into this exclusive world where lobster lunches, manicured hedges and chartered yachts are just a way of life.