Michèle V. Cloonan

Becoming Alice Millard

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.