Recommendable, with huge caveats! It is written by a nutty, Black obsessed professor of Italian but belittling her subject by calling her only a librarian.
She did not "pass as white"! What a nonsense! Apparently, this woman was pale black due to her pale black parents. The author herself writes: "Yet I’m often asked whether Greene mentions her passing as white in her writings. She did not."
Modern racism demagoguery and supremacy ideology: Black v white! Very disgusting! The article is full of this crap!
Notice the condescending and derogative tone of the nutty professor: She only passed as white, because she was one of hundreds of thousands of light skinned black Americans!!!
"She was also a Black woman who passed as white. ... Greene was one of hundreds of thousands of light-skinned Black Americans who passed as white in the Jim Crow era. ..."
"... a connoisseur of rare books.
At that, she excelled. She became known for her stunning acquisition coups:
her purchase of 16 rare editions of the works of English printer William Caxton at an auction;
her procurement of the highly coveted Crusader’s Bible through a private negotiation; and
her acquisition of the Spanish Apocalypse Commentary, a medieval text written by a Spanish monk that Greene was able to buy at a steep discount. ..."
"To mark the 2024 centenary of its life as a public institution, the Morgan Library & Museum presents a major exhibition devoted to the life and career of its inaugural director, Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950). Widely recognized as an authority on illuminated manuscripts and deeply respected as a cultural heritage executive, Greene was one of the most prominent librarians in American history.
Greene is well known for the instrumental role she played in building the exceptional collection of rare books and manuscripts formed by American financier J. Pierpont Morgan, who hired her as his personal librarian in 1905. After Morgan's death in 1913, Greene continued as the librarian of his son and heir, J.P. Morgan Jr., who would transform his father's Library into a public institution in 1924. But her career as director of what was then known as the Pierpont Morgan Library―a leadership role she held for twenty-four years―is less well understood, as are aspects of her education, private collecting, and dense social and professional networks.
The exhibition traces Greene’s storied life, from her roots in a predominantly Black community in Washington, D.C., to her distinguished career at the helm of one of the world’s great research libraries. ..."
The Black librarian who rewrote the rules of power, gender and passing as white
The nutty professor
