Main content
Main Line: A Philadelphia Novel Collection
Notifications
Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
A member of the Princeton Class of 1940, Livingston Biddle (1818-2002) was an American novelist and storywriter, who wrote about the Main Line in Philadelphia. His four novels were ns2:titled, Main Line, Debut, The Village Beyond, and Sam Bentley's Island; and his nonfiction book was called Our Government and the Arts.
Biddle was part of Philadelphia's famous Biddle family, which included William Biddle (a friend of William Penn), Nicholas Biddle (founder of the Second Bank of the United States), and Francis Biddle (attorney general under President Franklin D. Roosevelt). After graduating from Princeton University, Biddle worked as a reporter for the Philadelphia Bulletin, served as an ambulence driver for the American Field Service in Africa during World War II, and was involved in the creation of the National Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. From 1963 to 1965, Biddle drafted the legislation for the arts programs; from 1966 to 1967, he served as deputy to the first chairman of the endowment; from 1968 to 1970, he served as professor and the chairman of the arts division at Fordham University in New York City; from 1971 to 1972, he was chairman of the Pennsylvania Balley Company; and in 1977, President Jimmy Carter named him chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts.
The collection consists of the original manuscripts (both holograph and typed) of Main Line: A Philadelphia Novel by Livingston Biddle (Princeton Class of 1940).
This collection was donated to the University by L. Biddle on June 13, 1950.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Folder inventory added by Kelly Rafey '16 in 2013.
Folder inventory added by Kelly Rafey '16 in 2013.
No appraisal information is available.
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder