This guide to special collections in the United States lists 1,804 institutions, organized by state. The book includes a general index and an institution index. Spine of jacket faded. vi , xv, i , 639 +1 pages. cloth, paper dust jacket. 4to..

Special Collections in College and University Libraries

Politics & Social Sciences

Rostenberg, Leona

Stern, Madeleine B.

Social Sciences

Pearson College Div

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 in much the same way. The "Holmes &amp; Watson" of the rare book business, Rostenberg and Stern unlocked 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-spitzengefuhl,"" the art of evaluating antiquarian books by handling, experience, and instinct, they treat us 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 15th 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.

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

Biographies & Memoirs

Stern, Madeline B.

Arts & Literature

DOUBLEDAY

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 &amp; 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.

Stern, Madeline B. B.

Crown

"Bookends support each other and come in pairs." So have the rare book dealers Rostenberg and Stern, who share their German- Jewish backgrounds, 50-year personal and professional relationship, and thoughts on the changing book world and aging. Rostenberg is a past president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association. Includes photos. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship

Stern, Madeleine

Community & Culture

Free Press

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Antiques & Collectibles

Diane Pub Co.

The antiquarian booksellers, life-long friends, and companions, recall their literary adventures

Thorndike Pr

The rare book dealers who delighted readers with the history of their bookselling days in "Old Books, Rare Friends" now offer the other side of their story -- an intimate look at the joys of a relationship that has lasted more than half a century. When their friendship and business partnership began in the 1940s, Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern were pioneers in a man's world. Now approaching their nineties, the duo, who -- among their many discoveries -- unearthed Louisa May Alcott's pseudonymous blood-and-thunder stories, remains a vibrant institution in the rare book trade, even as the Internet changes their field -- and their community -- forever. After publishing "Old Books, Rare Friends," Rostenberg and Stern received a flood of fan mail asking about their personal lives, and they have responded with poignant honesty and the warmth for which they are famous, as they reflect on their lives and their remarkable partnership. "Bookends" recounts their fascinating histories: family backgrounds, business adventures, the men they did not marry, and their approach to the bittersweet trials of aging. More than just a dual memoir, "Bookends" is also a chronicle of the cultural changes of twentieth-century American life and a loving farewell to the golden age of book collecting. Filled with wisdom and humor, this volume is a tribute to Rostenberg and Stern's passion for the written word -- and for life itself.  Catching us off guard with their candor, they offer their insights regarding their business, their way of life, and their worldview. Above all, they present the story of a special relationship. At a time when people find it increasingly difficult to connect, here wehave the seamless story of a shared life. It is the unique product of an earlier time, yet it is a timeless reflection on the very nature of friendship. Though their fantastic partnership is un-reproducible, the ideal they have established, for the integration of one life so completely with another, contains lessons for all of us.  Without husband or children they created a loving home when this was uncharted territory for women. They nurtured a business and life partnership that has lasted more than half a century and has only gotten stronger with time. When the passing years began to claim one's hearing and the other's sight, they became each other's eyes and ears. A meditation on aging and togetherness, this book is also the narrative of two pioneering single, Jewish women making their way in tandem through a world largely organized to keep them in their place. It is a gentle, wise story, told in their inimitable style, sparse, unadorned, and honest. Their affirmations supersede their uncertainties. As they write, "Bookends support books and come in pairs...If the word encapsulates our past, it looks also to the future, and to the books -- lived together, written together -- that will follow." They confront the challenges of aging in a no-nonsense tone, and, in facing them, give us an ideal of enduring human friendship that can't help but touch the heart.

A reviewer stated in a glowing review: "If you love books at all, then go forth and hunt down this one. It is a rare treasure in itself, an authentic feelgood odyssey through the world of booksellers, their wares and their curious habitats."

Old and Rare: Forty Years in the Book Business

Modoc Pr

Reminiscences of two grand ladies of the bookselling world. These decades long friends, business and life partners 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 deserved best seller.

Between Boards: New Thoughts on Old Books

Reference

Quest Book Guest Book: A Biblio-Folly

Business & Money

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rostenberg, Leona. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Rostenberg, Leona

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rostenberg, Leona. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Special Collections in College and University Libraries

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

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

Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship

Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship

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

Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship

Old and Rare: Forty Years in the Book Business

Between Boards: New Thoughts on Old Books

Quest Book Guest Book: A Biblio-Folly