Background
Rostenberg, Leona was born on December 28, 1908 in New York City. Daughter of Adolph and Louisa (Dreyfus) Rostenberg.
(The rare book dealers who delighted readers with the hist...)
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.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743202457/?tag=2022091-20
(This work yields a fascinating and original perspective o...)
This work yields a fascinating and original perspective on the efforts of publishers and the progress of publishing from a common trade to an admired profession. "Revolution" begins with the effects of the great 15th century innovation of movable type to the introduction of electronic publishing in the late 20th century.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584560746/?tag=2022091-20
(A reviewer stated in a glowing review: "If you love books...)
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."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0929246004/?tag=2022091-20
(Two of New York's most legendary antiquarian dealers have...)
Two of New York's most legendary antiquarian dealers have put pen to paper again and traced the fates of 30 unique books. Both authors scanned the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries looking for boks with interesting narratives. Each book selected has it own dramatic experience, origin and destiny. This collection of essays brings to life a cast of characters such as Shakespear, Descartes, Shelly, Poe, George Eliot, and many others.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584560487/?tag=2022091-20
(First edition. The dynamic-duo of New York's antiquarian ...)
First edition. The dynamic-duo of New York's antiquarian book scene have written a unique and interesting series of essays on the creation of new fields of book collecting. With hard-won authority the authors share with their readers their extraordinary careers that span more than fifty years. Rostenberg & Stern were pioneers in cultivating interests in such diverse fields as Feminism, Judaica, Black Culture and Utopia. We empathize with the wonder and excitement of the authors as countless rare and beautiful books pass through their hands. We learn the byzantine and unspoken "rules of the game" of the rare book trade, and how - in the mid-1940s - two young Jewish girls broke into the male-dominated field of antiquarian book selling by specializing in new and unchartered fields. NEW WORLDS IN OLD BOOKS is a must read for any bibliophile. 210 pages. cloth, dust jacket.. 8vo..
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1884718892/?tag=2022091-20
Rostenberg, Leona was born on December 28, 1908 in New York City. Daughter of Adolph and Louisa (Dreyfus) Rostenberg.
Bachelor, New York University, New York City, 1930. Master of Arts, Columbia University, 1933. Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University, 1973.
In addition to many books on book history and book collecting, Rostenberg wrote numerous articles over the years for many publications including Journal of Modern History, American Historical Review, and Library Quarterly. Rostenberg died on March 17, 2005 after suffering from heart problems for two years.
(The rare book dealers who delighted readers with the hist...)
(The rare book dealers who delighted readers with the hist...)
(This work yields a fascinating and original perspective o...)
(Two of New York's most legendary antiquarian dealers have...)
(A reviewer stated in a glowing review: "If you love books...)
(Book by Rostenberg, Leona and Stern, Madeleine B.)
(Burt Franklin Biography and Reference Series No. 42)
(First edition. The dynamic-duo of New York's antiquarian ...)
(First edition. The first autobiographical sketches by the...)
Member Antiquarian Booksellers Association American (president 1972-1974), American Printing History Association (award 1983), Bibliographical Society of America, Manuscript Society.