Back
Leona Rostenberg, Stern, Madeleine B.: Old books, rare friends (Paperback, 1998, Main Street Books/Doubleday) 4 stars

You'd think a book about antiquarian bookselling wouldn't be loaded with suspense or keep us …

Charming and insidery

4 stars

I’m pretty taken with these women, important rare book dealers and a tightly bound pair of friends. They’re the ones who dug about Louisa Alcott’s sensational pieces! Leona traveled to Strasberg by herself in 1936 to study books after Columbia refused to grant her a PhD! Their accounts of book rummaging and feminist takes on history are fun. Their family stories and their devoted friendship are delightful. Apparently they have a number of other co-written books that cover similar terrain. Good for book nerds and for asexual (and maybe aro?) companionship.