THE BOOK: Mary Sachs: Merchant Princess.
PUBLISHED IN: 2015.
THE AUTHOR: Barbara Trainin Blank.
THE PUBLISHER: Sunbury Press, Inc. (sunburypress.com), headquartered in Mechanicsburg, PA, is a publisher of hard cover, trade paperback and eBooks featuring established and emerging authors in many categories. Sunbury’s books are sold through leading booksellers worldwide.
SUMMARY: At a time when women rarely went into business for themselves, Mary Sachs, an immigrant with little formal education and from a poor family, became perhaps the most successful entrepreneur in her adopted city of Harrisburg, Pa., and beyond. She revolutionized retailing by setting up customers in individual booths and bringing clothes to them. But Sachs was much more than an excellent retailer; she won accolades for her charitable works, becoming known as “the Princess of Philanthropy.” She was most active in Harrisburg’s Jewish organizations but also donated ecumenically to many causes. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a personal friend, declared that “few can ever match” Sachs’s generosity.
THE BACK STORY: Soon after moving to Harrisburg, Pa., I was introduced to Hannah Sachs Cantor, one of Mary’s sisters. She encouraged me to write a book about her sister, to whom she was very close and a business partner. Instead the task went to Bern Sharfman, a prominent journalist and author and resident of Harrisburg for many years. After Bern’s death, I took on the responsibility of expanding the book, drawing on his fine research and writing skills.
WHY THIS TITLE? In July 1958, the U.S. Senator Edward Martin of Pennsylvania entered into the Congressional Record an article from CommonWealth magazine entitled: “Mary Sachs: Merchant Princess.” That became her nom de plume.
WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO READ IT?: The book gives a glimpse not only into a fascinating, multifaceted woman but into the rich history of Pennsylvania’s capital: its growing Jewish community, and the general phenomenon of immigration to the United States.
REVIEW COMMENTS:
By Barbara Matthews:
“Although I occasionally heard the name Mary Sachs, or read something about her in the local newspaper, I really knew very little about this Harrisburg icon. As Barbara Trainin Blank states in her book, Mary Sachs, Merchant Princess, “One reason I wrote this book was to mitigate against the lack of or insufficient knowledge of Mary and her achievements. Trainin Blank has accomplished her goal. Thanks to this little gem of a book, I now have much more knowledge about this unique and generous lady of vision.”
AUTHOR PROFILE: Once headed for social work or psychology to follow in the footsteps of my father, a community service leader, I veered off into journalism — writing for local, regional, and national publications in areas as diverse as religion, social sciences, health and medicine, and the performing arts. In addition, I have published three non-fiction books, including this one; wrote several novels; and saw dozens of my plays worshipped or produced in community and professional theaters. I’m married to a Russia scholar and have two daughters (one deceased) and
two grandchildren. In non-COVID times I enjoy movies, theater, eating out, walking, dancing, and spending time with friends. Above all, I love to read and even more to write.
AUTHOR COMMENTS: This was a difficult but enjoyable book to write. Mary Sachs was a very interesting woman whose sister nonetheless had wanted this to be hagiographic. Bern and I agreed it was best for Mary’s traits and talents to speak for themselves.
SAMPLE: On September 6, 1918, Mary opened her first store in downtown Harrisburg… Mary Sachs brought to her new venture some experience, very little capital; a willingness to innovate, and some ideas about the kind of merchandising she wanted do, ideas that eventually became a widely discussed philosophy as she garnered success.
LOCAL OUTLETS: Midtown Scholar Bookstore.
WHERE ELSE TO BUY IT: amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.
Sunbury Press, P.O. Box 548, Boiling Springs, PA. http:www.sunburypress.com.
855-338-8359, Ex D. falankus@sunburypress.com.X
PRICE: $14.70, hardcover; $12.95, paperback (on amazon.com).
CONTACT THE AUTHOR: traininblank@gmail.com. linkedin.com/in/barbara-trainin-blank.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070320214778
Snowflakes in a Blizzard 