"Accompanying an exhibition during the Morgan Library & Museum's centennial in 2024, this publication tells the story of the American librarian Belle da Costa Greene (1879-1950), the first director of the institution. She ran the Morgan Library for forty-three years--initially as the private librarian of J. Pierpont Morgan, and then his son Jack, who established his father's collection as an educational and research facility for the public. The book, edited by the Morgan's Philip S. Palmer, Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head of Literary and Historical Manuscripts, and Erica Ciallela, Exhibition Project Curator, features contributions from multiple authors on her family, education, portraits, professional networks, and her own art collection, while also addressing larger themes such as race in America, gender and culture, and the history of Black librarianship"-- Provided by publisher.