Edited with text by Erica Ciallela, Philip S. Palmer. Introduction by Philip S. Palmer. Foreword by Colin B. Bailey. Text by Araceli Bremauntz-Enriquez, Julia S. Charles-Linen, Rhonda Evans, Anne-Marie Eze, Daria Rose Foner, Jiemi Gao, Juliana Amorim Goskes, Gail Levin, Deborah Parker, Deborah Willis. Afterword by Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty.
The incredible story of the first director of the Morgan Library: a visionary Black woman who walked confidently in an early 20th-century man’s world of wealth and privilege
When J.P. Morgan’s personal library opened as a public institution in 1924, the choice for its first director was an obvious one: Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950). Not only had she organized and cataloged the collection, she had significantly expanded its holdings and displayed its treasures in curated exhibitions. While she was famous and well known for her librarianship in her lifetime, few people also knew that she had been born to a prominent Black family, and by her early 20s was passing as white in New York City. After Greene was hired by J.P. Morgan in 1905, she emerged as one of the highest-paid women in America and commanded respect in a field dominated by men. She spent millions of dollars on Morgan’s behalf to acquire outstanding medieval manuscripts, rare printed books and works of art. Following Morgan’s death she continued to work with his son, who established the library as a public institution. All told, she headed the Morgan for 43 years and was single-handedly responsible for turning it into one of the most important collections of rare books and manuscripts in the United States. Published to coincide with the centennial of the museum and of Greene’s appointment as director, Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy presents a thematic collection of essays with new research on her family, education, portraits, professional networks and her own art collection, while also engaging with larger themes such as race in America, gender and culture, and the history of Black librarianship. The book offers a full picture of Greene on her own terms and in her own words—revealing her rich career as a curator, collector, library executive and dynamic New Yorker.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy.'
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Librarian of Congress
Carla Hayden
Belle da Costa Greene was a phenomenal librarian and leader who defied cultural expectations and limitations. Her sense of style, sophistication and elegance fused with scholarship made her a woman for the ages. Her enduring legacy is far-reaching and this is why her celebrated career needs to be amplified and told.
author of Morgan, American Financier
Jean Strouse
This gorgeously illustrated volume draws on rich new scholarship to illuminate the astonishing story of Belle da Costa Greene. Mysteries will remain, yet the Morgan’s catalogue and centennial exhibition present for the first time a 360-degree view of what Greene herself called ‘a grand life.’
Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
A passionate lover of books, Bella da Costa Greene helped to transform the vast personal library of J. Pierpont Morgan into one of the world’s most treasured research libraries and museums. Yet in her many years of unlocking the wonders of learning through reading as the library’s director, Greene’s own story—and family tree—remained a mystery, tucked away in the hidden history of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow. Now, in this breathtaking volume, Greene’s complicated life and choices are revealed more fully than ever before, and what they tell us about the odyssey of race in America is as astonishing as it is tragic.
The New York Times
Celia McGee
The show draws on previously untapped archival resources, looks in some unexpected places for historical context, and encompasses a number of new discoveries that crystallize Greene’s formative years as a budding librarian and medievalist alongside fresh details of her personal story.
The Washington Post: Book World
Ron Charles
Librarians typically direct attention toward their collections, but this librarian is fascinating in her own right.
NPR: All Things Considered
Jordan-Marie Smith
Morgan Library’s exhibit describes how her legacy spans generations and ripples through libraries today.
The Financial Times
Ariella Budick
The Morgan Library & Museum is finally paying homage to the woman who assembled the private collection, amplified its splendour, and, 100 years ago, became the institution’s first director.
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“She knows more about rare books than any other American. She has spent $42,000 for a single volume and outwitted a rich duke at an auction. Her opinion on Caxton editions is sought by the greatest scholars. She is chic, vivacious and interesting, in fact, a ‘dandy, wholesome American girl.’ … She wears her hair long and does not use glasses, runs to Europe on secret missions and is the terror of continental collectors’ agents. Her name is Belle Green [sic].” So wrote the Chicago Tribune on August 11, 1912. A visionary Black woman who passed as white while rising to become the world’s most respected collector of rare books, Greene was the subject of the bestselling 2021 historical novel The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Here, the notoriously stylish, sophisticated and secretive Morgan librarian is pictured in a 1911 portrait by Clarence H. White. Both the photograph and the quotation above are reproduced from our own 2024 blockbuster, Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy, published to accompany the exhibition on view now at the Morgan Library & Museum. Featuring 175 reproductions of Greene, the library, her travels and the items she collected, this 304-page hardcover offers a panoramic, scholarly portrait of Greene as collector, library executive and woman of the world. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8 x 10.5 in. / 304 pgs / 141 color / 34 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $49.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $69.95 GBP £44.99 ISBN: 9781636811352 PUBLISHER: DelMonico Books/Morgan Library & Museum AVAILABLE: 11/12/2024 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by DelMonico Books/Morgan Library & Museum. Edited with text by Erica Ciallela, Philip S. Palmer. Introduction by Philip S. Palmer. Foreword by Colin B. Bailey. Text by Araceli Bremauntz-Enriquez, Julia S. Charles-Linen, Rhonda Evans, Anne-Marie Eze, Daria Rose Foner, Jiemi Gao, Juliana Amorim Goskes, Gail Levin, Deborah Parker, Deborah Willis. Afterword by Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty.
The incredible story of the first director of the Morgan Library: a visionary Black woman who walked confidently in an early 20th-century man’s world of wealth and privilege
When J.P. Morgan’s personal library opened as a public institution in 1924, the choice for its first director was an obvious one: Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950). Not only had she organized and cataloged the collection, she had significantly expanded its holdings and displayed its treasures in curated exhibitions. While she was famous and well known for her librarianship in her lifetime, few people also knew that she had been born to a prominent Black family, and by her early 20s was passing as white in New York City.
After Greene was hired by J.P. Morgan in 1905, she emerged as one of the highest-paid women in America and commanded respect in a field dominated by men. She spent millions of dollars on Morgan’s behalf to acquire outstanding medieval manuscripts, rare printed books and works of art. Following Morgan’s death she continued to work with his son, who established the library as a public institution. All told, she headed the Morgan for 43 years and was single-handedly responsible for turning it into one of the most important collections of rare books and manuscripts in the United States.
Published to coincide with the centennial of the museum and of Greene’s appointment as director, Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy presents a thematic collection of essays with new research on her family, education, portraits, professional networks and her own art collection, while also engaging with larger themes such as race in America, gender and culture, and the history of Black librarianship. The book offers a full picture of Greene on her own terms and in her own words—revealing her rich career as a curator, collector, library executive and dynamic New Yorker.
