Stern, Madeleine B., 1912-2007

American children's author, born in New York City in 1912. Having written articles, stories, poems, and biographies, she loves literary and biographical detective work and exploring untraveled fields of the American past.

Madeleine Bettina Stern was born July 1, 1912, in New York, NY. She became a high school English teacher, an author, and a partner in a rare book store. Most of her writing is for adults; she specializes in nineteenth-century Americana. She is especially drawn to feminist biographies and publishing history, and enjoys literary and biographical detective work. Only two of her books were directed specifically at juvenile audiences, and both of those were based upon adult books she had written. Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vol. 14

“Madeleine B. Stern.” Contemporary Authors Online, The Gale Group. 2002. Retrieved November 17, 2002 from http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioR Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1958-1964. Sterne, Madeleine B. “Joseph de Nancrède, Franco-American Bookseller-Publisher, 1761-1841.” The Papers of the Bibliographic Society of America. Volume 70, 1976.

The rare book dealer and writer Madeleine B. Stern was born July 1, 1912, in New York City, New York. She was educated at Barnard College (A.B., 1932) and Columbia University (M.A., 1934). In 1945 she began dealing rare books in a long-lasting partnership with Leona Rostenberg, and the two have collaborated on several memoirs that record their experiences in the book trade. Stern’s scholarly work includes several books and numerous articles on rare books, publishing history, women’s issues, nineteenth-century literature, and several biographies, including The Life of Margaret Fuller (1942) and Louisa May Alcott (1950). Stern is a member of many bibliographic and literary associations: Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, Modern Language Association of America, American Printing History Association, Manuscript Society, Authors League of America, and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. She received a Guggenheim fellowship, 1943-45; the Medalie Award, Barnard College, 1982; and an American Printing History Association Award (with Leona Rostenberg), 1983.

The Franco-American teacher, bookseller, and publisher Paul Joseph Guérard de Nancrède was born in March 6, 1761, at Héricy, near Fontainebleau, France. He died in Paris on December 15, 1841. Nancrède first came to America as part of the French military force that fought for American independence. After settling in Boston he taught French language and literature at Harvard from 1787 – 1798, eventually publishing L’Abeille Françoise, the first French textbook in America. From April through October, 1789, Nancrède published the Courier de Boston, a French language political and literary journal. In 1796 Nancrède opened a printing and booksellers shop in Boston, publishing a great number of books in French and introducing American readers to the works of Rousseau and his followers. He relocated his business to Philadelphia in 1812, but by 1825 Nancrède had returned to France, where he still occasionally published political writings and maintained his interest in Franco-American affairs.

Writer on 19th century American topics; rare book dealer (in partnership with Leona Rostenberg) in New York City. Born July 1, 1912, in N.Y., N.Y., to Moses R. and Lillie Mack Stern. Graduate of Barnard College (A.B. 1932) and Columbia University (M.A. 1934). Teacher of high school English in N.Y., 1934-1943; writer from 1942; rare book dealer from 1945. Guggenheim Fellow, 1943-1945. Major publications about or editions of works by Louisa May Alcott include: Louisa May Alcott (1950; 2nd ed. 1971); Louisa's Wonder Book: An Undiscovered Alcott Juvenile (1975); Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers.

(Cont.) of Louisa May Alcott (1975); Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott (1976); Critical Essays on Louisa May Alcott (1984); The Selected Letters of Louisa May Alcott (1987); A Modern Mephistopheles [and] Taming a Tartar (1987); A Double Life: Five "New" Thrillers by Louisa May Alcott (1988). Also author of numerous articles published in scholarly journals specializing in 19th century American literature.

Maedeleine B. Stern (1912-), dealer in rare books and biographer, especially of Louisa May Alcott and other 19th century authors.

Madeleine B. Stern was born to Moses R. and Lillie Mack Stern in New York City 1 July 1912. She received her B.A. degree from Barnard in 1932 and her M.A. (degrees in English Literature) from Columbia University in 1933. Her biography of Margaret Fuller was written partly in Ogunquit, Maine, where she spent several summers. She contributed many articles on various literary subjects to the Sewanee Review, the New England Quarterly, Americana, The South Atlantic Quarterly, etc. (from inside back cover of The Life of Margaret Fuller, 1942). On the merits of this text, Madeleine was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship to work on a biography of Louisa May Alcott. When the Fellowship expired, Madeleine taught English in secondary schools to support herself until March 1945, when she resigned as a teacher and became the business partner of her friend and co-worker, Leona Rostenberg, in the sale of rare books. From 1945 to 1991, while in that trade, she amused herself by researching alternately rare (often foreign) books and 19th century America.

In that time, she produced numerous volumes on her favorite research subject, Louisa May Alcott, including a biography of the same title. Her partner, Leona, discovered four of Alcott’s unknown thrillers, as a result Madeleine wrote Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott, 1975; Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott, 1976; A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott, 1988; and Freaks of Genius, 1991. Subsequently, Madeleine also edited Critical Essays on Louisa May Alcott (1984), A Modern Mephistopheles, and Taming a Tartar (1987) ; and co-edited Selected Letters (1987), Journals (1988), and Selected Fiction (1991) .

Apart from her research on Louisa May Alcott, Stern also wrote books on assorted obscure figures in 19th American history, such as Stephen Pearl Andrews, Margaret Fuller (aforementioned), Mrs. Frank Leslie, Dr. Isabel Barrows, Victoria Woodhull, etc., as well as about 19th century life and 19th century women in general. Also, she authored several bibliographies on rare books and booksellers.

Madeleine B. Stern author, teacher, saleswoman.

Madeleine B. Stern was born to Moses R. and Lillie Mack Stern in New York City 1 July 1912. She received her B.A. degree from Barnard in 1932 and her M.A. (degrees in English Literature) from Columbia University in 1933. Her biography of Margaret Fuller was written partly in Ogunquit, Maine, where she spent several summers. She contributed many articles on various literary subjects to the Sewanee Review, the New England Quarterly, Americana, The South Atlantic Quarterly, etc. (from inside back cover of The Life of Margaret Fuller, 1942).

On the merits of this text, Madeleine was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship to work on a biography of Louisa May Alcott. When the Fellowship expired, Madeleine taught English in secondary schools to support herself until March 1945, when she resigned as a teacher and became the business partner of her friend and co-worker, Leona Rostenberg, in the sale of rare books. From 1945 to 1991, while in that trade, she amused herself by researching alternately rare (often foreign) books and 19th century America. In that time, she produced numerous volumes on her favorite research subject, Louisa May Alcott, including a biography of the same title. Her partner, Leona, discovered four of Alcott’s unknown thrillers.