Madeleine Bettina Stern (July 1, 1912 – August 18, 2007), born in
New York, New York, was an
independent scholar
A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...
and
rare book dealer. She graduated from
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
in 1932 with a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in
English literature. She received her
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in English literature from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
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
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
of Alcott, which was eventually published in 1950. In 1945, she and her friend
Leona Rostenberg
Leona Rostenberg (December 28, 1908 – March 17, 2005) was an independent scholar and rare books dealer born in New York, New York.
Biography
Rostenberg was born in the Bronx on December 28, 1908. Her father Adolf was a dermatologist.
Rostenber ...
opened Rostenberg & Stern Books. Rostenberg and Stern were active members of the
Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) is an organization in the United States for dealers in rare and antiquarian books. The association is a member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).
History
Fou ...
, at a time when few women were members. The pair lived and worked in Rostenberg's house in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
. 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.
Books by Madeleine B. Stern
* ''The Life of
Margaret Fuller
Sarah Margaret Fuller (May 23, 1810 – July 19, 1850), sometimes referred to as Margaret Fuller Ossoli, was an American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movemen ...
'', 1942.
* ''Louisa May Alcott'', 1950 (revised editions published in 1971 and 1996).
* ''Purple Passage: The Life of
Mrs. Frank Leslie'', 1955 (revised edition, 1970).
* ''Imprints on History: Book Publishers and American Frontiers'', 1956.
* ''We the Women: Career Firsts of Nineteenth-Century America'', 1963.
* ''So Much in a Lifetime: The Story of Dr.
Isabel Barrows'', 1964.
* ''Queen of Publishers' Row: Mrs. Frank Leslie'', 1965.
* ''The Pantarch: A Biography of
Stephen Pearl Andrews'', 1968.
* ''Heads and Headlines: The Phrenological Fowlers'', 1971.
* ''Books and Book People in Nineteenth-Century America'', 1978.
* ''
Sherlock Holmes: Rare-Book Collector'', 1981.
* ''A Phrenological Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Americans'', 1982.
* ''The Game's a Head: A Phrenological Case-Study of Sherlock Holmes and
Arthur Conan Doyle'', 1983.
* ''Antiquarian Bookselling in the United States: A History from the Origins to the 1940s'', 1985.
* ''
Nicholas Gouin Dufief of Philadelphia, Franco-American Bookseller, 1776–1834'', The Philobiblon Club, 1988, .
* ''Studies in the Franco-American Booktrade during the Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries'', 1994.
* ''The Feminist Alcott: Stories of a Woman's Power'', 1996.
* ''
Louisa May Alcott: From Blood & Thunder to Hearth and Home'', 1998.
Books co-authored by Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine B. Stern
* ''Old and Rare: Thirty Years in the Book Business'', 1974.
* ''Between Boards: New Thoughts on Old Books'', 1978.
* ''Bookman's Quintet: Five Catalogues about Books: Bibliography, Printing History, Booksellers, Libraries, Presses, Collectors'', 1979.
* ''Quest Book—Guest Book: A Biblio-Folly'', 1993.
* ''Connections: Ourselves—Our Books'', 1994.
* ''Old Books in the Old World: Reminiscences of Book-buying Abroad'', 1996.
* ''Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion'', 1997.
* ''New Worlds in Old Books'', 1999.
* ''Books Have Their Fates'', 2001.
* ''Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship'', 2001.
* ''From Revolution to Revolution: Perspectives on Publishing and Bookselling 1501-2001'', 2002.
Books edited by Madeleine B. Stern
* ''Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott'', 1975.
* ''Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott'', 1976 (in paperback, ''A Marble Woman'', 1976).
* ''Louisa's Wonder Book-An Unknown Alcott Juvenile; With an Introduction and Bibliography'', 1975.
* ''A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott'', 1988.
and others.
See also
*
Antiquarian book trade in the United States The antiquarian book trade in the United States is an aspect of book collecting and publishing. The term ''antiquarian'', in general, refers to antiquities and collectible items usually considered old and rare, usually in reference to books, but is ...
*
Books in the United States
References
External links
Madeleine B. Stern Collectionsin the
L. Tom Perry Special Collections,
Harold B. Lee Library
The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is the main academic library of Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, Utah. The library started as a small collection of books in the president's office in 1876 before moving in 1891. The Heber J. Gr ...
,
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine B. Stern Papers at Columbia University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Madeleine B.
1912 births
2007 deaths
Barnard College alumni
Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
20th-century American historians
American feminists
Writers from New York City
American women historians
20th-century American women writers
Historians from New York (state)
21st-century American women