Biographer Madeleine Stern Dies

Posted by Melissa Howard Sep 18, 2007

Madeleine Stern was an important figure in the world of American books. In the mid-forties, Stern became a prominent figure in the world of antiquarian books when she helped launch her partner’s, Leona Rostenberg, rare bookshop. Shortly thereafter, Stern became a partner in the shop, Rostenberg & Stern Rare Books.

In 1960, she helped to start the antiquarian book fair in New York City.

However, Stern’s most important contribution to American literature was her discoveries made while working on a biography of Louisa May Alcott.

Louisa May Alcott is known for her wholesome stories of family life and perseverance. Madeleine Stern brought us the other side of her writing, which in Alcott’s words were novels of ‘blood and thunder.’

Stern and her partner Rostenberg found letters from Alcott’s publisher, James R. Elliott, suggesting that they would accept more stories from her and that if she wanted to use a pseudonym, she could use A.M. Barnard or another man’s name.

With that information in hand, Stern went on to write a definitive biography of Alcott in 1950, Louisa May Alcott and to co-edit several collections of Alcott’s work Louisa May Alcott Unmasked: Collected Thrillers, and The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott.

Stern died in her home in New York City on August 18, 2007 after a brief illness.