Becoming Alice Millard: Bookseller and Tastemaker

Becoming Alice Millard: Bookseller and Tastemaker

Explore the life of Alice Millard, the antiquarian book seller who was at the forefront of the History of the Book discipline, and a tastemaker of her time. Women have played a significant role in the book trade since the beginning of printing. Unfortunately, many of them are now lost to history. Still, many articles and books have captured the various roles that women have played as printers, binders, publishers, editors, and booksellers. Less written about is the role of the women in the antiquarian book trade; however, it is an important part of the trade. Becoming Alice Millard is the story of how a largely self-educated young woman from a modest background became an urbane, internationally known antiquarian bookseller when almost no women worked in the high end of the trade, except as catalogers. Although Alice has been written about by many people, this book corrects the many inaccuracies about her that have been published-and persist. Correcting the record has not been easy; Alice spoke little about her past, didn't keep a diary, and didn't make copies of her correspondence. Key to understanding Alice Millard's life is her relationship with books. This volume considers how she crafted her professional life. Crafted is the key word because Alice was a passionate proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement. She didn't just sell items, she created educational and aesthetic experiences by teaching people about the value of those objects, by holding exhibitions and publishing catalogs, and by inviting people into her pioneering Frank Lloyd Wright home, La Miniatura. This book presents a more thorough view of Alice Millard's life than has ever been presented before. It corrects commonly perpetuated myths, and dispels some of the mystery enveloping her life. “Alice Millard is finally receiving her due through the meticulous and insightful research of Michèle Cloonan who has produced a biography worthy of the larger-than-life antiquarian bookseller and proponent of the object beautiful.” ―Charles Nelson Johnson, Research librarian and historical consultant “Michèle Cloonan offers a compelling account of one of California's first great antiquarian booksellers. From her precarious, purpose-built La Miniatura, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Alice Parsons Millard celebrated the art of the book and crafted an unconventional approach to the trade.” ―Heather O'Donnell, Honey & Wax Booksellers “This much-needed volume introduces to a wider audience the fascinating life of Alice Millard, a bibliophile, businesswoman, and scholar whose life was bound up with the books she bought and sold in Southern California. Cloonan walks readers through the private and professional aspects of Millard, who balanced social perceptions of femininity and personal aspirations to create a successful rare books business during the Golden Age of Book Collecting. This account of Millard's life both revels in the details of her relationships and family and moves readers toward the greater contributions Millard made to the collection of and study of rare books in the United States. It is a welcome addition to the growing amount of literature on women collectors and dealers.” ―Kate Ozment, PhD, Director, Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship, , Case Western Reserve University, USA “Michèle Cloonan' s prodigious research has resulted in an engaging biography of a woman who, like so many before her, would otherwise be lost to history. Cloonan follows trails which seem to lead nowhere to uncover the story of a courageous woman who managed to find success in the very male world of bibliophiles.” ―Kathleen Walkup, Lovelace Family Professor Emerita, Mills College at Northeastern University, USA Michèle Valerie Cloonan is Professor and Dean Emerita in the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University, where she continues to advise doctoral students and conduct research. Prior to that she was associate professor and chair in the Department of Information Studies at UCLA. Before she became a professor, she was a librarian at the Newberry Library, Brown University, and Smith College. She has been a leader in LIS education and is a former president of the Association for Library & Information Science Education.