Old and Rare : Thirty Years in the Book Business

by Madeleine B. Stern

A reviewer stated in a glowing "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."

Genres: Books About Books

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

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

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done and worth reading but some of the descriptions went a bit long. Think it would be great as a reference book in a lot of ways.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful romp through bibliomania. I like listening to two old timers talk about their book hunts.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific edutainment for bibliophiles and collectors.

[Julia Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of two women who became rare book dealers. One of the most interesting parts of the book is their descriptions of England in the immediate post-war period.