BHS Book Club: "The Personal Librarian"

The Bayside Historical Society is starting our first-ever book club! In an effort to make history accessible and fun, we'll be reading historical fiction and biographies, including both classics and contemporary works. Meetings will take place on Thursday evenings at 7:30pm and will be facilitated by BHS staff or members. After the first meeting, book club members will choose new books from a curated list, and they’ll also have the chance to suggest additional titles.

Our first book will be The Personal Librarian, coauthored by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. The novel tells the remarkable story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, who became one of the most powerful art and book collectors in the United States. From the early 1900s until her retirement in 1948, she amassed an extraordinary collection of rare books and manuscripts that became the foundation of what is now The Morgan Library & Museum. Greene also concealed her identity as a Black American woman, passing as white in a segregated and racist society.

Join us on Thursday, 9/24/26, from 7:30-9pm to share ideas and discuss the book. RSVP on the BHS website.