2022 Life Logs, Day 48: The Personal Librarian
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022
Weather: Overcast, Winds SW 32, Even Warmer; High Temp 54, Low Temp 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Last night I finished reading my March book club book, The Personal Librarian written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It is a fabulous piece of historical fiction telling the story of the life of Belle da Costa Greene. In 1905, soon after she graduated from Princeton University, J. P. Morgan hired her as his personal librarian. The interesting thing is that Belle was a black woman who chose to pass as white. In case you might want to read the book, I won’t divulge when the truth was revealed. And ‘chose’ is not really the right word. She had no choice if she wanted to fulfil her life’s dream. “A colored girl named Belle Marion Greener would never have been considered for a job with Mr. J. P. Morgan. Only a white girl called Belle Da Costa Greene would have that opportunity.” Both Belle and Mr. Morgan had a deep passion for ancient manuscripts. Together (his money and her expertise) they built one of the world’s most envied collections of rare books and manuscripts and Belle became one of the most prominent librarians in American history. Belle continued on in her position after Mr. Morgan’s death, and she and his son honored the wishes of J. P Morgan by opening the institution to the public in 1924. Belle was named director at that time and was in that position until she retired in 1948. I just wish she had done all she did without having to pass as white.
It was impossible to read the book without making comparisons to today. “That Belle denied her true identity in order to protect herself and her family from racial persecution speaks not only to her time but also to ours . . . This is a compelling and important story.” These words by a bestselling NYT author are printed on the cover of the book. The book was published in 2021, but while the two authors were working on the manuscript race issues exploded in this country. Some things are certainly better today than they were in the early 1900’s, but sadly as I read I realized how much many things are really still the same.
In 2024, to celebrate the one hundred years of its life as a public institution, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City will open a Belle da Costa Greene exhibition. In 1949, a year after she retired and the year before she died, the library staged an exhibition in her honor. It featured over 250 of the most prized items that Belle had acquired. She attended in a wheelchair. This amazing woman dedicated her entire adult life to the Morgan Library, and I would love to visit the exhibit in 2024 when it opens. The authors of The Personal Librarian were able to bring Belle’s interest in ancient books alive. They write with a such colorful detail that I honestly felt like I was there holding one of the first books ever printed. Now I want to go see those books.
