The ample cache of letters Greene left behind, gatheredin [ 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 * Depicts the career of this great scholar of manuscripts and early printed books through Greenes 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 * The letters to [ Bernard] Berenson are by far the most significant group of Greenes surviving personal papers and are the subject of Deborah Parkers 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 * [ This] excellent study introduces us to Belles private and professional life with scholarly knowledge, with elegance, talent and easeI highly recommend this marvelous work to libraries and book lovers everywhere. -- Opritsa D. Popa * Rare Book Hub * Offers readers insight not only into the creation of one of Americas foremost scholarly institutions, but also into the art and craft of writing as a powerful means of self-transformation. -- Timothy Kircher * Humanities Watch * A nimble study that touches on a wide range of subjectsmore than anything, [ Greenes] correspondence with Berenson communicates the vivacity of a woman, rare in her time, for whom the personal sphereand the professional one were inseparable. These excerpts testify to the scope of her interests and competencies. -- Francesca Trivellato * Il Sole 24 Ore * 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 educationa wonderful book. -- Jessica Moore * Caxtonian *
