Despite the iconic nature of the Manhattan skyline, there are only four places the public can see it from, even if paying: the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, ONE World Trade Center, and the Edge at Hudson Yards. All other elevated views are a private privilege, only available to owners of luxury penthouses.

Posing as an apartment-hunting Hungarian billionaire, Andi Schmied accessed and documented the views of 25 of the city's most exclusive high-rise properties. Her book, Private Views: A High-Rise Panorama of Manhattan offers a glimpse into this elite world. Showcasing the surreal strategies of persuasion used by real estate agents, the book allows readers to bypass the gatekeepers of luxury real estate, guiding them through the sunset from Trump Tower, view from the private club of the tallest residential tower on the planet, and showing samples of the most luxurious materials, such as the Siberian marble used in soaking tubs overlooking the Statue of Liberty.

The book is structured into four main sections: an interview with the author and the fictional billionaire, real estate viewings through photography and transcripted dialogues, informative texts about the world of luxury real estate, and authors' essays. The texts cover issues such as the history of the view, shadows these buildings cast, sales galleries, amenities, apartment staging, samples of the most luxurious materials, and many others.