Members of exlibris:
I write in the hope of finding information on Moncure Biddle, a Philadelphia
bibliophile of an earlier generation, who published a curious and charming
series of Christmas Letters and whose library was, I believe, auctioned in
the (early?) 1950s. The Christmas Letters are in fact small books on bookish
topics, with generally superior illustrations from eclectic sources; I have
six of these volumes, dating from 1940 through 1945, on topics including
George Borrow, Jacques Callot, Witchcraft, Gypsies, and Flower Books.
The name Biddle is an illustrious one in Philadelphia history, but I know
little of the man or whence he came by his apparently wide knowledge of books.
Any references (including the date of the auction of his library) would be
gratefully appreciated. Should anything publishable result, I will alert
exlibris members; or otherwise summarize the information for those interested.
Sincerely,
Henry Wessells
P.O. Box 43072
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043-0072
electronym: wessells@aol.com
http://ad.kosmic.org/wessells.htm