Martha’s father, Edward Kostyra. (Courtesy of Martha Kostyra)

The Kostyra family. In the back row, from left: Frank, Martha, and Eric; in the front row, from left: Kathy, baby Laura, Martha Sr. (or “Big Martha,” as she is affectionately called), Edward, and George. (Courtesy of Martha Kostyra)

Martha’s sister Kathy and Mrs. Kostyra in their Nutley, New Jersey, kitchen in a snapshot taken by Martha’s father. (Courtesy of Martha Kostyra)

Martha and Laura at Kathy’s wedding. (Courtesy of Laura Plimpton)

Martha’s daughter, Alexis (or Lexi, as she is called), at eleven years old. (Courtesy of Laura Plimpton)

Publishing veteran Gerry Gross and Martha at the Cooper-Hewitt in New York City in June 1976. (Courtesy of Gerry Gross and Publishers Weekly)

Beverly’s Collectibles, one of Martha’s early haunts, where she often looked for valuable old finds. Martha loves flea markets and tag sales and goes to them whenever she can. (Photograph by Stewart Bronfeld)

Some of Martha’s prized hens in Westport, Connecticut. (Courtesy of Judy Morris)

Martha’s siblings Laura and George among Martha’s sunflowers in the late seventies. (Courtesy of Laura Plimpton)

Andy Stewart (right) and an unidentified man at the book party for Faeries. (Courtesy of Laura Plimpton)

Audrey Doneger while on vacation in Venice. She was one of the first women to work for Martha’s catering business and later became famous for her lemon square recipe. (Photograph by Audrey’s daughter Susan Pujalte)

Corey Tippin holding up a star that he made for Martha. (Courtesy of Judy Morris)

Vicky Sloat, one of Martha’s assistants. When Vicky had her first baby, Martha paid her a visit and gave her a one-year subscription to the Toy of the Month Club. (Photograph by Vicky Sloat’s husband, Bob Sloat)

Martha holding Judy Morris’s baby, Jimmy. (Courtesy of Judy Morris)

Martha invited two of her longtime employees, Carolyn Kelly-Wallach and Lisa Wagner, and their sons (from left, Ethan Goldberg, Gregory Kelly-Wallach, and Alexander Goldberg) to stay with her at her house in Maine. (Photograph by Carolyn’s husband, Barry Wallach)

Martha dancing with one of her employees, John Hanson. (Courtesy of John Hanson)

Martha in the Clinton White House. At top, Martha and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Courtesy of Judy Morris) At bottom, Martha and Mrs. Clinton among friends and colleagues. Judy Morris is at the far left. (Official White House photograph)

Martha with, from left, Michael Bolton, John Kerry, and Paul Newman at a party. (Author’s collection)

Martha and her team holding Emmys won for her TV show Martha Stewart Living after the awards ceremony. (Official Emmys photograph)

The Papaya King, Martha’s favorite spot to grab a delicious hot dog when she’s in Manhattan. (Photograph by Natasha Stoynoff)

Callen Pappy, the eleven-year-old granddaughter of Jeanne Pappy, a fan who spotted Martha in the New York Marriott Marquis in 1999 and asked for a photo. Martha stopped for the picture and has kept in touch with them ever since. (Photograph by Jeanne Pappy)

Martha with her friend and talented hairstylist Eva Scrivo. (Photograph by Vanessa Lenz)

Photographers waiting for Martha to exit the courthouse during her trial. (Photograph by Sophie Herbert)

One of Martha’s many fans expressing his affection for Martha and his distaste for the courtroom proceedings. (Photograph by Sophie Herbert)

The train station in Alderson, West Virginia, the town where Martha was incarcerated. (Photograph by Lloyd Allen)

Betty Alderson, who owns a shop in the town named after her family, holding a T-shirt she had made up in honor of Martha. (Photograph by Betty Alderson’s husband, John Alderson IV)

Martha, her brother George, and their mother at a dinner celebrating George’s fiftieth birthday. (Courtesy of George Kostyra)

The cake Martha baked for her mother’s ninetieth birthday party. (Courtesy of Martha Kostyra)

Big Martha sitting proudly at her ninetieth birthday party, happily surrounded by her family. From left: Laura Plimpton, George Christiansen, Kathy Evans, Martha, and Laura’s husband, Randy. (Courtesy of Martha Kostyra)

Alexis Stewart in the fall of 2005. (Courtesy of Alexis Stewart)

Inside Martha’s studio for her daily show, Martha, at the end of the show when Martha takes questions from the audience and when photo taking is allowed. (Author’s collection)

The exterior and entrance to Martha’s new studio on West 26th Street in New York City, showing posters promoting the show as well as Martha Stewart Living. (Author’s collection)

Martha and her beloved mother, Martha Kostyra. (Courtesy of Martha Kostyra)