Dedicated trackers of Muckety will delight in Richistan, by Robert Frank, who writes the Wealth Report column for The Wall Street Journal.

Frank’s premise - and he provides a great deal of evidence to back it up - is that the wealthy have become a separate country within a country. They share a common language and common economy, and they fraternize in places where hoi polloi aren’t allowed to step foot.

One of our favorite examples, described at length in Frank’s book, is the Yellowstone Club, which bills itself as “the world’s only private ski and golf community.” Members include Bill Gates, Peter Chernin and Dan Quayle.