In the 1920s, a Polish real-estate tycoon named Moses Ginsberg imagined a Manhattan hotel that would outdo the St. Regis and the Plaza in elegance: Art Deco, limestone, 35 stories. In 1930, on Madison between 76th and 77th Streets, the ribbon was cut on the Carlyle. Since then, the hotel’s gold revolving doors have welcomed everyone from White House royalty (Jackie O) to British royalty (Princess Diana) to Broadway royalty (Elaine Stritch). To commemorate the hotel’s 90th anniversary, Assouline has released a 200-page coffee-table book that details Carlyle history. “It remains the last word in understated opulence,” writes the journalist James Reginato in the book’s introduction. A particularly glowing homage comes from Lenny Kravitz, who writes “if it weren’t for the Carlyle, it is possible I may not even exist.” —J.D.