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200th out of 465 books
—
717 voters
Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion
Louisa May Alcott once wrote that she had taken her pen for a bridegroom. Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern, friends and business partners for fifty years, have in many ways taken up their pens and passion for literature much in the same way. The "Holmes & Watson" of the rare book business, Rostenberg and Stern are renowned for unlocking the hidden secret of Louisa...more
Paperback, 292 pages
Published
June 1st 1998
by Main Street Books
(first published 1997)
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Dec 22, 2011
Betty
added it
I was attracted to the cover of this book at the Friends of Arlington (VA) Library book sale this past fall. Both authors are seated on a small couch with shelves of old books in the background, their dachshund between them. The book delivered on sleuthing for rare books and about the life-long relationship and individual lives of two "best friends" then in their 80's when they wrote this book. Loving "sleuthing" through others' possessions in search of antiques and special uniques, my daughter...more
This dual-memoir took a little while to get rolling, but once it did I was thoroughly invested in the lives of these life-long friends and business partners (incidentally, they deny lesbianism in the book's prologue, which is fine if it's true, but I truly hope they didn't feel the need to keep any aspect of their relationship a secret or that they, worse, felt the need to deny each other this sort of companionship if it was something they desired). Madeline Stern and Leona Rostenberg, both born...more
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I really enjoyed this book, but probably for often merely personal reasons (an obsession with old books)... the prose is pretty bad sometimes. But despite some awkwardness, an interesting tale from two interesting women I really wish I'd met. Their triumphs in the old boys' club of rare books in the 30s and 40s in especially remarkable given how nice they both seem to have been. They made a lot of friends. Their approach to old books is very refreshing as well: rather than focusing on rarity, th...more
Antiquities, detecting & buying, sleuthing, writing & cataloging, building & selling collections.
Informative, but dry (compared to Jack Matthew's entertaining writings on booking)
87 & 84 yrs old in 1997
132..christmas present of letterhead paper
158..170...july 1947, visited postwar London, Paris, Strasbourg, Hague
183..not all detection is fruitful...series of disappointments
193..Luther bible, 14" x 16", $300 in late 50's
1995..ABAA..antiquarian booksellers assoc of america
208..Aldu...more
Informative, but dry (compared to Jack Matthew's entertaining writings on booking)
87 & 84 yrs old in 1997
132..christmas present of letterhead paper
158..170...july 1947, visited postwar London, Paris, Strasbourg, Hague
183..not all detection is fruitful...series of disappointments
193..Luther bible, 14" x 16", $300 in late 50's
1995..ABAA..antiquarian booksellers assoc of america
208..Aldu...more
A biography of two real characters! I would never have imagined that I would find a book about two old ladies who I had never heard of so unputdownable. I enjoyed this book about books so much that I started searching out the author's other books and found not all of them so well written or enjoyable as this one. I couldn't even slog through the first chapter of The Life of Margaret Fuller: A Revised, Second Edition.
This is a charming joint autobiography of two women who found their way into being lifelong friends and business partners. Their stories range from the frustrations of academic life at Columbia and school teaching, through the exciting, but frightening world of Strasbourg just before WWII through to the excitement of discovering important and valuable books in unlikely places and using those discoveries to build a great rare book dealership. This is a lovely story, especially for people who are...more
Jan 05, 2013
Edel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-about-books-i-love
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If I hadn't read this memoir by two partners in the rare and antiquated book business (and in life), I wouldn't know that "Little Women" author Louisa May Alcott wrote under a pseudonym a string of noirish stories about sex, violence, and opium addiction.
Feb 22, 2010
Deborah Black
marked it as to-read
While I haven't read it yet, I was introduced to this tempting read by Kerry Clare in her blog Pickle Me This! at http://www.picklemethis.com/2010/02/1...
Dec 29, 2009
Kate
marked it as to-read
After seeing Rostenberg & Stern interviewed in the new Louisa May Alcott bio that aired on PBS last night, I want to know more about them and their literary sleuthing!
A terrific book about friendship and books. three and a half stars
Interesting. Some of the biblio stuff a little dry
An amazing story that made me envious.. what a friendship!! They are both gone now, and I am sure where ever that was, they have some rare books to research and each other to eternally share with..
I enjoyed reading this book. Such insight to a deep friendship and to a world of old books that I never imagined. I admit, some of the terminology was beyond me but still a delightful read.
Delightful reading on a subject close to any Constant Reader's heart -- books and reading and those who share that love of the written word. Also an exploration of a long-enduring friendship of two people -- one of whom wrote one of the best biographies of Lousia May Alcott that I ever read.
these 2 broads had an amazing life and partnership collecting, appreciating, and selling books about books, the art of books, and had a kick ass time doing it.
Jun 19, 2013
Donna
marked it as to-read
Jun 18, 2013
Katie
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Jun 15, 2013
Denise
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Jun 01, 2013
Tracy Slough
marked it as to-read
May 22, 2013
Julie
marked it as to-read
May 22, 2013
Cindy Dyson Eitelman
marked it as to-read
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Although she traveled widely, Madeleine B. Stern remained a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker. She was a graduate of Barnard College, a member of Phi Beta Kappa and had a Master's Degree from Columbia University.
She began to write at the age of eight when the children on her block wanted to act out an original play. After that came many articles, stories and poems during her high school and college yea...more
More about Madeleine B. Stern...
She began to write at the age of eight when the children on her block wanted to act out an original play. After that came many articles, stories and poems during her high school and college yea...more
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“To librarians, booksellers, and collectors there is nothing limited in the subject of books about books.”
—
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