Book excerpt: Eclectic, eccentric, and smart, Aspen has always been a pioneer of style. Drawing on the words and photo albums of the glamorous people who lived there, page after page of this richly textured volume reveals the spirit of this surprisingly sophisticated town nestled in the wild Rocky Moutains of Colorado. An established favorite getaway for movers and shakers, such as George Soros, Anne Bass, and Rupert Murdoch, as well as the artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jennifer Bartlett, and Eric Fischl, Aspen is also home to a steady stream of illustrious escapees from both coasts such as Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ted Kennedy and Bill Maher. But much more than a resort town, Aspen is an idea and an ideal, a creative hotbed of intellect and style. In the spirt of Aspen brilliantly captures the dazzling mix of culture and natural beauty.