Ben Lucien Burman papers, ca. 1940 - ca. 1963
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Ben Lucien Burman papers, ca. 1940 - ca. 1963
- Creator
- Burman, Ben Lucien, 1896-
- Extent
- 7.5 cubic ft.
- Subjects
- Caddy, Alice illustrator.
- American fiction--20th century.
- Mississippi River in literature.
- Arrangement
- Minimal level of organization.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Author, journalist. Ben Lucien Burman was born in Covington, Ky, served in World War I, and graduated from Harvard in 1920. He was a reporter with newspapers in Boston, Cincinnati, and New York, and was a correspondent from Africa and the Middle East during World War II. He also wrote books, both fiction and non-fiction, depicting life along the Mississippi River. He married Alice Caddy, the illustrator of many of his books, in 1927. Burman died in 1984.
- Scope and Content
- These papers consist mainly of drafts of articles, short stories, and novels written by Burman. Included are drafts and/or proofs of many of Burman's works, including THE FOUR LIVES OF MUNDY TOLLIVER; ROOSTER CROWS FOR DAY; CHILDREN OF NOAH; IT'S A BIG COUNTRY; SEVEN STARS FOR CATFISH BEND; BLOW FOR A LANDING; HIGH WATER AT CATFISH BEND; THE STREET OF THE LAUGHING CAMEL; IT'S A BIG CONTINENT; and THE OWL HOOTS TWICE AT CATFISH BEND; also of several articles published in THE SATURDAY REVIEW OF LITERATURE, including "The Cult of Unintelligibility", "Music on the Mississippi", "Tolliver's Travels", and "Unnatural Natural History"; and several other articles, including "This I Believe." Also included are a number of original drawings by Alice Caddy.
- Also included (in 61M1) are a microfilm copy (negative, 16mm) of one of the manuscript copies of THE STREET OF THE LAUGHING CAMEL, and a set of phonograph records containing a copy of the manuscript dictated by Burman.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
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Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
