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

Leona G Rostenberg

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Language: English

Published by Doubleday Books, 1997

038548514X / 9780385485142

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Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books Inc

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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-spitzengefuhl, 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.

Seller Inventory # CIN038548514XG

Title
Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion
Author
Leona G Rostenberg
Publisher
Doubleday Books
Publication year
1997
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardback
Language
English
ISBN 10
038548514X
ISBN 13
9780385485142

World of Books Inc

Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.

2-star seller

AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026

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Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission

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SBYB, Inc.

900 Knell Road
Montgomery, IL U.S.A. 60538