Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion

by Madeleine B. Stern, Leona Rostenberg

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 May Alcott's life when they discovered her pseudonym, A.M. Barnard, along with her anonymously published "blood and thunder" stories on subjects like transvestitism, hashish smoking, and feminism.

Old Books, Rare Friends describes their mutual passion for books and literary sleuthing as they take us on their earliest European book buying jaunts. Using what they call Finger-spitzengefühl, the art of evaluating antiquarian books by handling, experience, and instinct, we are treated to some of their greatest discoveries amid the mildewed basements of London's booksellers after the Blitz. We experience the thrill of finding one of the earliest known books printed in America between 1617-1619 by the Pilgrim Press and learn about the influential role of publisher-printers from the fifteenth century.

Like a precious gem, Old Books, Rare Friends is a book to treasure about the companionship of two rare friends and their shared passion for old books.

Genres: Books About Books, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir, Literature, New York

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Madeleine Bettina Stern was an independent scholar and rare book dealer. She graduated from Barnard College in 1932 with a B.A. in English literature. She received her M.A. in English literature from Columbia University in 1934. Stern was particularly known for her work on the writer Louisa May Alcott. She received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1943 to write a biography of Alcott, which was eventually published in 1950. In 1945, she and her friend Leona Rostenberg opened Rostenberg & Stern Books. Rostenberg and Stern were active members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, at a time when few women were members. The pair lived and worked in Rostenberg's house in the Bronx. They were known for creating unique rare book catalogs. In 1960, Stern helped found the New York Antiquarian Book Fair.
Stern and Leona Rostenberg became widely known in the late 1990s while in their late eighties when their memoir on the rare book trade, Old Books, Rare Friends, became a best seller.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern operated their New York antiquarian book business for several decades, becoming famous for their rare finds. They established New York’s Antiquarian Book Fair in 1960, along with becoming authors themselves. The discovery of Louisa May Alcott’s other works, before the publication of Little Women, was made by this rare book pair, when they unraveled a trove of Alcott’s works previously unknown to the publishing world. Perhaps most importantly, Leona and Madeleine were independent females ahead of their time, establishing themselves in a business sector dominated by men.

The book devotes chapters to each woman, starting with their childhoods. Both were born into relatively comfortable families which allowed them to attend university and travel widely. After World War II, they took advantage of the post-war book trade in Europe by making regular visits to meet with booksellers looking to re-establish their local book markets. They each had a good feel for finds that were truly rare, including works by the Puritan founders of New England. So they weren’t your typical second-hand bookshop but specialists in the exceedingly rare publications that were becoming much wanted items in the collections of the wealthy.

Although Leona and Madeleine are now both gone, their influence lives on as they firmly put a female-led business at the forefront of the antiquarian book trade. I did enjoy reading about their beginnings and how they gradually found their goal in life, although I bogged down during the sections of research they accomplished for the Alcott and Pilgrim discoveries. If a reader loves books, especially older ones, this is a nice read and rather educational.

Book Season = Year Round (heaving bookcases)

[Lenora Good · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about old and rare books, and the two women who spent their adult lives finding them and bringing them to the modern world. This is a book about enduring friendship, formed in college, and growing throughout their lives. This is a book about Life lived the way it should be—not as a book sleuth, but doing whatever it is you want to do.

The biggest problem with this book is that I didn't want it to end. I thoroughly enjoyed it from page one to page last. Early into the book, I decided to read more slowly, and to only read a couple pages a night to make the book last longer. Didn't work. All of a sudden, I found myself at the end, nights before I wanted to be there!

Their sleuthing of Louisa May Alcott and all the books she wrote under a pseudonym fascinated me. I had no idea she wrote anything beyond the Little Women books I read so many years ago.

Their story is delightfully told. First one tells her story, and then the other tells hers. Now and then, they write a chapter together. Because of these two women, and their love of the printed word, especially way back when, many old manuscripts, pamphlets, and books that very well may have been lost to history, and now in the hands of collectors, libraries, and museums where they are cared for, and shared.

Starting with their first venture into finding, collecting, and selling old and rare books, they enjoyed little more than each other's company and the hunt. And writing their catalogs, articles, and their own books (which I shall now have to hunt, find, and read)

This is a book I not only will keep and treasure, but one I will read again. And possible even again after that.

A delightful story, delightfully told, and perfect to read before turning out the light.

An aside: The woman who gave me the book wrote to them, and they, in turn, wrote back a delightful letter. Both a copy of my friend's letter, and their reply are in my book. Sadly, so are the dates of their deaths, so I cannot also write and tell them how much I enjoyed their book.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each giving their own voice via sections in each chapter, they tell of their origins, education, first meeting, and their embarking into the literary life of rare book collection.

College took them abroad and helped both cement their friendship (in missing each other) and stoking the love of older books.

While both casually dated, neither felt they could find anyone who shared their literary love, nor intellectual standing. Much to their parents chagrin, they remained steadfast to each other, earning income teaching, translating, and tutoring.

Much detail is given to their European travels, either scenic or diary entries, as with nearly every aspect of their lives...possibly even too much.

That said, once we get into Madeleine’s biographical books, we can not have enough. After a successful novelization of a Margaret Fuller biography, she sets her sights on Louisa May Alcott, but more so on her alias publications. Fascinating how she sleuthed not only the aka, but her publisher and various papers that carried her stories. Using clues from “Little Women” and her journals, along with letters to and from, the “aha” moment arrives with much glee. Both ladies made light of their discovery, illuminating the bibliophile world with dazzling revelation. A. M. Barnard was henceforth removed from the standard library shelves and stowed in with the rare. Bravo, ladies. Bravo!

Such lead to Madeleine’s award of a Guggenheim. Using such, she quits teaching and works on her book. Leona yearns to delve into the rare booksellers business. During the end of the war and Hitler’s genocide, the two besties team up and dive into the biz. Selling half of their first catalog is impetus enough for the two to forge onward. Family and friends support with surprised enthusiasm and connections made along their way further advance their success.

Shopping the remains in London’s regal bookshops was bittersweet. Meeting sellers they knew only via their catalogs and then seeing the results of the war upon them. Still, the ladies did well to improve their own stock, as well as their standing in the lofty realm of valuable reads.

Quite interesting is not only the lavish stories behind the books they search for, but the sellers and buyers involved in such. I am forever pausing and taking notes as I read. What a gem this is becoming, beyond just an interesting read.

Through their moxy, the first stateside antiquarian book fair was held, the first center created, and numerous books on a feminist slant were published. Alongside such, were the bountiful collections of Alcott (Barnard) stories, again, sleuthed out via diary entries. If nothing else, we should all be in debt to this two for that, alone. These were not idle ladies by any means.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much to love about this book. Two women share a life together buying, selling, and writing books. It is unusual to read about a close platonic friendship. I enjoyed hearing about their buying trips to Europe where they bought 17th century pamphlets for little over a dollar! They became eminent book dealers in Manhattan and sold books to numerous libraries' special collections. Lorena Rostenberg was interested in the influence that 16th-17th printers had on the books they published and her dissertation on this subject was rejected by Columbia University in the 1940's, a decision they reversed in the 1970's. She authored many essays and articles on this subject. Madeleine Stern wrote biographies of Margaret Fuller and Louisa May Alcott and then turned literary sleuth, figuring out the pseudonyms that Alcott used when publishing books about lurid subjects and was the first to publish these secret books.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure what sub genre you should give to an autobiography of two people written jointly, but this book about rare books is itself a true rarity, a treasure that has sat in plain view unread on my shelf for several years - courtesy of my beautiful bibliophile wife who claims not to know where or when she bought it. I, too, like another reviewer here, read it slowly when I finally picked it up and was a little sad when I reached the end.

The two ladies, Misses Stern and Rostenberg, died in the early 2000’s in their mid nineties, but left behind this fascinating story of their lives together in pursuit of culture and enlightenment about early publications from the Middle Ages as well as the exciting life of two late 20th century antiquarian book-sellers. I was reminded as I read it of Larry McMurtry’s similar personal romance with books as told in his 1999 memoir, “Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen,” and wondered if this trio of contemporary book-movers had ever met.

At any rate, it’s an excellent read - highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a slow ramble though a bookstore and stumbling on a hidden gem.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second reading of this book. I am trying to purge our bookshelves but I think this one will remain a keeper. I'm not sure why. I really am not interested in all the rare books they describe in some detail, but the thrill of the find makes for a good read. Plus I very much admire two strong women who have made a career for themselves and seemed to have enjoyed their lives together very much.

I will quote just one of many, many examples of their searches for treasures.

When we first entered the shop and asked the proprietor for old and rare, he suggested we descend to the lower depths, where he had stored "bits and pieces" from a theological library he had bought about fourteen years earlier. We descended without much hope. Theology per se was not to our liking. Once in the basement we were paralyzed by the quantity of calfbound books surrounding us--on shelves, on chairs, on tables, and espcially on the floor. Languidly, we picked up a little calfbound duodecimo that had presumably reposed for fourteen years on that floor. We opened to the title page. It was a Latin work by the Puritan divine William Ames. We looked at the imprint and needed no detection to read, also in Latin, "Leyden: William Brewsster, 1617." Here was the first issue from the underground prsss established in Leyden by our Pilgrim Fathers....We paid one guinea--$2.90. Our book would go for $900 to our frined Donald Wing at Yale.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of Madeleine Stern and Leona Rostenberg before stumbling onto this shared memoir, and having finished it I am glad I learned about them. Their narration styles are both enjoyable and blend well together; my favorite parts were those about their childhood and their first trip abroad together. However, the literature aspect here is a bit "niche" as most of the rare books they discuss are usually obscure volumes from as far back as the 1500s. They also discuss Louisa May Alcott's "secret" penny dreadful stories a lot, which will be a big plus for Alcott fans who read this. But since I am not fond of Alcott's books myself(I may try some of the rediscovered stories mentioned in this book) and my experience with Renaissance literature is limited I found the actual rare book aspect dull compared to the other adventures of these two friends.

Old Books, Rare Friends is still worth a try for bibliophiles who love Louisa May Alcott or have an interest in the oldest of books. Even though it's not on my re-read list, I did enjoy it and I learned a few things I would never have known otherwise.

[Marietje · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book as extension of my study of Louisa May Alcott. I expected the discovery of Alcott's sensational stories to have a bigger place in the book. I had read Madeleine Stern's biography of LMC. Most other LMC biographies are at least partially based on hers.

Leona and Madeleine switch off telling their story. At times I got confused about who did what. After they start their book business most of the stories are about how they found certain obscure rare books. In the beginning I was fascinated, but after a while it sounded all the same. It struck me that they found most rare books by simply remembering a small, to the layman insignificant, fact. How these two women must have studied to know enough to get the Fingerspitzen gefuhl (sensitive fingertips= intuition) they talk about. I really admired them. I also had never thought that there was a feminist slant to rare books, but there obviously is.

I enjoyed reading most of the book, but lost interest in the last quarter of it.

[Angie Head · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't stick it out all the way through. I read 11 out of 14 chapters and the epilogue. The epilogue gave me what I needed to be at peace with not completing the whole book. The first half of the book had very little to do with books at all, it was primarily autobiographies of the two authors. I kept waiting for the wonders of book finding missions but I had to wade through the deep waters of feminism and humanism to get a taste. The clearly stated worlview of the authors was something I intended to bear with so long as the book hunts made it worthwhile. In the end, the feminism and humanism were more than I could stomach and I skipped to the epilogue which confirmed my decision. Happy to move on to something more worthwhile and edifying!

[Gather RI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old Books, Rare Friends’ is one of several memoirs the authors co-penned. It was also a surprise bestseller for Random House in the summer of 1997. When you leaf through, you understand why - it’s a fun read. Learn what it’s like to be a Jewish girl growing up in New York in the 1920s. What it was like to travel across the Atlantic to Europe on a great steamship in the 1930s... and promptly have the aging head librarian at the University of Strasbourg in France hit on you.

By the early 1940s, the best friends became authors separately and together, writing feminist biographies of women including Margaret Fuller and Louisa May Alcott. Madeleine made literary history by discovering Alcott’s pseudonym A.M. Barnard and her “blood & thunder” stories.

When Leona launched her rare book dealership in the winter of 1943, Madeleine soon joined as a partner. They became famed for their sleuthing skills, sniffing out rarities that other dealers had a hard time finding. Their post-London Blitz book buying tour of 1947 was legendary.

To this day, used and rare book dealers are mostly men. How did the two survive? In part with clever marketing. For example they didn’t have any folios or rare Shakespeare editions in stock on his 400th birthday, so they created catalog of the books in stock from his time period. The rare book community loved this so much that suddenly everyone who was anyone was shopping with them, including the Shakespeare Folger Library. And the New York Public Libraries chose them to act as their reps at auctions. IT WAS A COUP.

In 1972, Leona was elected president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America. She was the first woman president at a time when the top collectors clubs, such as the Grolier Club, still refused to even admit women.

Most of all, they were fun. There’s a reason why a memoir by two elderly rare book dealers becomes an unlikely bestseller - they have tons of good stories, stories of the type you can dine out on, all rather thrillingly and good naturedly told.

Need a break? Read their book.

[Stuart Endick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a classic for antiquarian book collectors who understand the thrill of hunting for unappreciated treasures on rickety shelves. Few have been better positioned or made lasting cultural contributions like scholars and book dealers Leona Rostenberg and Madeline Stern who shared long lives of companionship and literary sleuthing. Born into similar backgrounds in the years just before WWI, Ms. Rostenberg was on a path to a life in academia lecturing on medieval history when a Columbia University professor rejected her prescient doctoral thesis on the cultural influence of early book publishers (the decision was reversed and the deserved degree awarded years latter). Instead she learned the rare book trade and applied her scholarship to uncovering important books from the renaissance and 17th and 18th centuries, an endeavor in which she was joined by Ms. Stern, an author focused on 19th century women writers. Together they discovered the sensational pseudonymous body of work that children’s author Louisa May Alcott had published prior to her fame. The personal story of how their lives progressed separately and then together against the backdrop of events in the 1930’s and beyond is engaging reading.

[Edel Waugh Salisbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of two friends Leona and Madeleine . The story takes us from their childhood and collage years right through to their travels and work years. The book has a lot of wonderful pictures included and it is clear to see these ladies had quite a life.
It was not obvious from the beginning that they were going to be friends but that is what they became nonetheless and it is just wonderful for us that they did. Their lives have been filled with books ,searching for them ,selling them and loving a mystery about them and their authors.
The ladies traveled a lot and they take us with them on their journeys, it is fun reading about where they visited ,through their eyes esp when on one particular visit to London when they went to stay at a particular establishment they very nearly got more then they bargained for.
If you love a book about books then I urge you to read this . A book about friendship and books is a book to treasure !

[Michael North · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is delightful. The authors' development from lower intelligent and curious young women into two of the most notable rare book dealers (and published researchers) of the mid-twentieth century was a fascinating read. I am a rare book librarian and had only heard of these two, but reading about them in their own words was a lot of fun. Highly recommended if you love books and how some of them from centuries past had such impacts and became collectible.

One commenter here complained that these two seemed to revel in buying books cheap from dealers knowing they were valuable and then selling them for great profit. What that person didn’t see is the value that they added to the books by researching them, minutely describing them, and finding THE person who wanted them, which is a lot of work, and requires a great deal of expertise. The authors use an unpronounceable German word for it, but I would call it connoisseurship.

One minor thing, they were life partners without acknowledging it the way it would be done today. They denied that their relationship was physical- and I believe and respect that- but they mention their love for each other many times. I wonder if they had been young today if they might have described and lived their relationship differently. I sympathize that in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, their was little discussion- even vocabulary- for a positive same-sex relationship, but bless them for loving each other and doing everything together so publicly.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know it's a rare book when you don't want it to end.

I loved this joint memoir by Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern: how they found true friendship and shared passions that led to remarkable careers in book dealing, literary research, and authorship. They were trailblazers in so many ways: pursuing advanced degrees, choosing professions over marriage, becoming leaders in the male-dominated field of book dealership, uncovering the critical historical role of early printer/publishers, discovering Louisa May Alcott's pseudonym as a "blood and thunder" writer.

Reading Old Books, Rare Friends more than a decade after it was published 1n 1997, I knew that these two inspirational women, born in 1908 (Leona) and 1912 (Madeleine) had already died. When I looked up their obituaries after finishing the book, I felt as if I had just met, and then lost all too soon, two people who had become dear to me. Appropriately, it happened because of a book.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book. I must admit that I skimmed a lot of the biographical background. That's not the fault of the authors--they're interesting people who grew up in interesting times--it was just my mood. But I enjoyed reading about Madeleine researching her biographies of Margaret Fuller and Louisa May Alcott, among others, as well as the duo's rare book dealings, especially their initial buying foray to Europe and the friends and discoveries they made amid the post-World War II devastation. In particular, though, I loved the saga of how they discovered Alcott's "blood and thunder" pseudonyms, and were able to track down and publish so many of those stories. I may go back and re-read from the beginning, eventually.

[Karry · Rating 2 out of 5]

We really thought that this might be a fascinating story about two women who spent their lives studying and selling old books. However, as it turned out, it might have been a lot more interesting if someone else had written it. The fact that both women wrote this memoir might have something to do with it. I love books about books and book lovers, but this one carried the tone of self aggrandizement and the pleasure it is to screw another book seller out of some money. I wish it wasn't so, I would have enjoyed loving their story. Alas, that wasn't to be.

[Adams' Country Retreat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed every bit of this book and learned so much about the interesting lives of these ladies. The discovery of Louisa May Alcott's other writings was a major focal point. Their lives as rare book dealers included extensive traveling and their sells to major libraries gave wonderful insights into their business. Madeleine Stern and Leona Rostenberg were also writers to be admired and remembered. During the reading of this book, I had the desire to reorganize my library and restart my writing career.

[William Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading this gem of a memoir by two best-friend and business partners in antiquarian books, written as octogenarians in 1997. They had fascinating lives, and reminded me yet again why I so love elders. One of the authors, Ms. Stern, is primarily responsible for the revival of interest in Louisa May Alcott. The story of how that happened is one of the many highlights.

If you like older books, history, and elders, this is the book for you. ( And I love the cover photo! )

[Abigail Moreshead · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book dragged a bit at times, but overall, I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about the rare book trade and what it was like to be a woman scholar in the 1930s when so few women were getting PhDs.

I also learned so much about Louisa May Alcott and how much of her writing was concealed beneath pseudonyms/anonymity until relatively recent decades, which casts a lot of light on her complex identity as a writer navigating the social mores and publishing world of the 19th century.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, insightful, and delightfully engrossing. The reading of this memoir harkens back to mmy own memories of cozy chats with family and friends where topics ranged from music, politics, art, literature, and more over hot tea and biscuits or shortbread. A must read for any book hunter, or for readers whose love of books is simply "because they must".

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring memoir that documents the friendship of two women, who shared a passion for books and research. The chapters on the discovery of Louisa May Alcott's pseudonym and the writings she published as A.M. Barnard, are of particular interest to Alcott fans and scholars. The memoir is written with wit, humor, and insightful humanity; a pleasure

[Arcelia Detert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old Books, Rare Friends is an autobiography of two intellectual women (Leona and Madeleine) who crossed paths during their youth and never veered away. They built an antiquarian bookselling business from their unquenched curiosity and passion for knowledge they both shared. I recommend this book to those that like reading about books in general.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a treat to read and would make a good gift. I enjoyed reading Stern and Rostenberg's stories of getting into the rare book business in the 1930s and developing their lifelong friendship.

[Jeannie Standal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this so much more than I thought I would - what a lovely surprise! I also happened to see a documentary called The Booksellers about the world of rare books while I was reading. These two were mentioned several times in revered tones.

Would recommend to the bookish.

[Jing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less about literary sleuthing than a story about two lifelong friends and partners and their amazing journey from girlhood to maturity, achieving milestones for women in academia and the rare books business while pursuing their own passions. Very inspiring read.

[Cheryl Ruhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this inspiring story of impeccable scholarship, historical sleuthing, and abiding friendship.

[Alli P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this years ago. I forget most of the details yet remember whizzing through it and being endeared by the characters.

[Carey Platt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book about the book trade and literary sleuthing.

[G Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Found the first half more interesting than the second. Didn’t finish the second half, to be honest. If I worked in antique books, I may have.

[Abby Reddig Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just adored every bit of this book. A memoir. Also loved the sequel Bookends.