Skip to content

Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America Paperback - 2016

by Althea McDowell Altemus; Robin Faith Bachin (Editor); Notes by Robin Faith Bachin


From the publisher

Sharp, resourceful, and with a style all her own, Althea Altemus embodied the spirit of the independent working woman of the Jazz Age. In her memoir, Big Bosses, she vividly recounts her life as a secretary for prominent (but thinly disguised) employers in Chicago, Miami, and New York during the late teens and 1920s. Alongside her we rub elbows with movie stars, artists, and high-profile businessmen, and experience lavish estate parties that routinely defied the laws of Prohibition. Beginning with her employment as a private secretary to James Deering of International Harvester, whom she describes as "probably the world's oldest and wealthiest bachelor playboy," Altemus tells us much about high society during the time, taking us inside Deering's glamorous Miami estate, Vizcaya, an Italianate mansion worthy of Gatsby himself. Later, we meet her other notable employers, including Samuel Insull, president of Chicago Edison; New York banker S. W. Straus; and real estate developer Fred F. French. We cinch up our trenchcoats and head out sleuthing in Chicago, hired by the wife of a big boss to find out how he spends his evenings (with, it turns out, a mistress hidden in an apartment within his office, no less). Altemus was also a struggling single mother, a fact she had to keep secret from her employers, and she reveals the difficulties of being a working woman at the time through glimpses into women's apartments, their friendships, and the dangers--sexual and otherwise--that she and others faced. Throughout, Altemus entertains with a tart and self-aware voice that combines the knowledge of an insider with the wit and clarity of someone on the fringe. Anchored by extensive annotation and an afterword from historian Robin F. Bachin, which contextualizes Altemus's narrative, Big Bosses provides a one-of-a-kind peek inside the excitement, extravagances, and the challenges of being a working woman roaring through the '20s.

Details

  • Title Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America
  • Author Althea McDowell Altemus; Robin Faith Bachin (Editor); Notes by Robin Faith Bachin
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 192
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of Chicago Press
  • Date 2016-11-18
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780226423623 / 022642362X
  • Weight 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 in (21.34 x 13.97 x 2.03 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Library of Congress subjects Nineteen twenties, Working mothers - United States
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2016014271
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 11/01/2016, Page 5

About the author

Althea McDowell Altemus (1885-1965) was born into a family of factory workers in Woodstock, Illinois. She was married in 1910 and divorced in 1917, prompting her to work as a secretary in the years that followed. Robin F. Bachin is the Charlton W. Tebeau Associate Professor of History and assistant provost for civic and community engagement at the University of Miami. She is the author of Building the South Side: Urban Space and Civic Culture in Chicago, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Big Bosses: A Working Girl’s Memoir of Jazz Age America

Big Bosses: A Working Girl’s Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Bachin, Robin F.

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362X
Quantity Available
2
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€2.02
€10.13 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
€2.02
€10.13 shipping to USA
Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Althea McDowell Altemus

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Syracuse, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€3.78
€5.67 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, November 2016. Trade Paperback. Very Good/None. Reading creases on spine. ; 8.70 X 5.80 X 1 inches
Item Price
€3.78
€5.67 shipping to USA
Big Bosses : A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Big Bosses : A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Altemus, Althea McDowell

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362x
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€4.73
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
€4.73
FREE shipping to USA
Big Bosses: A Working Girls Memoir of Jazz Age America

Big Bosses: A Working Girls Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Althea McDowell Altemus; Robin F. Bachin

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362x
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Chico, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€5.62
€4.72 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Very light edge wear, clean copy. . Very Good. Soft cover. 2016.
Item Price
€5.62
€4.72 shipping to USA
Big Bosses : A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

Big Bosses : A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Althea McDowell Altemus

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€6.03
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2016. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
€6.03
FREE shipping to USA
Big Bosses : A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

Big Bosses : A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Althea McDowell Altemus

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€6.03
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2016. Paperback. Acceptable. Disclaimer:Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
€6.03
FREE shipping to USA
Big Bosses
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Big Bosses

by Altemus Althea McDowell

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362x
Quantity Available
1
Seller
WARREN, Rhode Island, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€7.56
€3.90 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press. Paperback.
Item Price
€7.56
€3.90 shipping to USA
Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Altemus, Althea McDowell; Bachin, Robin F. [Editor]; Bachin, Robin F. [Editor]; Bachin, Robin F. [Afterword];

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Staten Island, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€9.40
€3.72 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2016-11-18. Paperback. Very Good. 5x0x8. (NB38 APR4R1AL) edge/point wear, no underlining or highlighting within
Item Price
€9.40
€3.72 shipping to USA
Big Bosses � A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Big Bosses � A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Altemus, Althea Mcdowell/ Bachin, Robin F. (Editor)

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362X
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€13.22
€11.82 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Univ of Chicago Pr, 2016. Paperback. New. reprint edition. 192 pages. 8.50x5.50x0.50 inches.
Item Price
€13.22
€11.82 shipping to USA
Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

Big Bosses: A Working Girl's Memoir of Jazz Age America

by Althea McDowell Altemus

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226423623 / 022642362x
Quantity Available
10
Seller
Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
€15.37
€11.76 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback / softback. New. Sharp, resourceful, and with a style all her own, Althea Altemus embodied the spirit of the independent working woman of the Jazz Age. In her memoir, Big Bosses, she vividly recounts her life as a secretary for prominent (but thinly disguised) employers in Chicago, Miami, and New York during the late teens and 1920s. Alongside her we rub elbows with movie stars, artists, and high-profile businessmen, and experience lavish estate parties that routinely defied the laws of Prohibition. Beginning with her employment as a private secretary to James Deering of International Harvester, whom she describes as "probably the world's oldest and wealthiest bachelor playboy," Altemus tells us much about high society during the time, taking us inside Deering's glamorous Miami estate, Vizcaya, an Italianate mansion worthy of Gatsby himself. Later, we meet her other notable employers, including Samuel Insull, president of Chicago Edison; New York banker S. W.… Read More
Item Price
€15.37
€11.76 shipping to USA