Becoming Belle Da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian Through Her Letters
Becoming Belle Da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian Through Her Letters
Becoming Belle Da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian Through Her Letters
Description
Description
In Becoming Belle da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian through Her Letters, Deborah Parker chronicles the making and empowerment of a female connoisseur, curator, and library director in a world where such positions were held by men. Belle da Costa Greene (1879-1950) was Pierpont Morgan's personal librarian (1908-1913) and the first Director of the Morgan Library (1924-1948). She was also the daughter of two mixed-race parents and passed for white. In the nearly six hundred letters that Greene sent to art historian Bernard Berenson (1865-1959), Parker identifies Greene's energetic pursuit of exceptional opportunities, illuminating the artistry and imaginative features of Greene's writing--her self-invention, her vibrant responses to books and art, and her pathbreaking work as a librarian. As Greene transformed a private library into a magnificent public institution, she also transformed herself: hers was a life both lived and writ large.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Depicts the career of this great scholar of manuscripts and early printed books through Greene's letters, mainly to her mentor and lover Bernard Berenson, while also providing insightful connecting commentary. The result makes for compelling reading on multiple levels, not least for its evocation of the last years of the Gilded Age.--Michael Dirda "Washington Post" (11/21/2024 12:00:00 AM)
Offers readers insight not only into the creation of one of America's foremost scholarly institutions, but also into the art and craft of writing as a powerful means of self-transformation.--Timothy Kircher "Humanities Watch" (10/5/2024 12:00:00 AM)
The ample cache of letters Greene left behind, gathered...in [this book]...reveals an indefatigably witty, puckish soul who savored books and art, had an active social life and loved gossip and a good story.--John McWhorter "New York Times" (1/23/2025 12:00:00 AM)
A nimble study that touches on a wide range of subjects...more than anything, [Greene's] correspondence with Berenson communicates the vivacity of a woman, rare in her time, for whom the personal sphere...and the professional one were inseparable. These excerpts testify to the scope of her interests and competencies.--Francesca Trivellato "Il Sole 24 Ore" (1/12/2025 12:00:00 AM)
[This] excellent study introduces us to Belle's private and professional life with scholarly knowledge, with elegance, talent and ease...I highly recommend this marvelous work to libraries and book lovers everywhere.--Opritsa D. Popa "Rare Book Hub" (2/1/2025 12:00:00 AM)
The letters to [Bernard] Berenson are by far the most significant group of Greene's surviving personal papers and are the subject of Deborah Parker's Becoming Belle da Costa Greene, which documents her emerging sense of herself as a critic in conversation with Berenson, another unreliable narrator with a great eye.--Heather O'Donnell "New York Review of Books" (5/15/2025 12:00:00 AM)
What Parker has done is something special in this book - that is to show the growth of Belle da Costa Greene emotionally and intellectually through her own words and her education...a wonderful book.--Jessica Moore "Caxtonian" (5/1/2025 12:00:00 AM)
In Becoming Belle da Costa Greene, a study of the letters (which prints several of the juiciest in full), Deborah Parker suggests that in the letters to Berenson we come closest to an expression of her private life.--Francesca Wade "London Review of Books" (6/25/2025 12:00:00 AM)
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Villa I Tatti
Pub date:
2024-10-08
Length:
176 pages
The Allstora Membership
Membership Perks:
- Save 30% on all online store purchases
- Exclusive access to author's content
- You pay less, but authors still earn double
Membership Terms:
First Month:
$0.00
Monthly price:
$5.00
- To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
- One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.