The Papers of Philip Benjamin have been divided into seven categories which document his personal life and professional career, as follows: Personal Correspondence; Financial Records; Personal Records including diaries, notebooks and memorabilia; Personal Writings dating from his years in secondary school through the incomplete manuscript of a novel of the Caribbean; Professional Records such as the screenplay of Quick, Before It Melts [1964, MGM], and the promotional literature concerned with it, and correspondence and teletype reports from Antarctica; Clippings dealing with his career and interests; and Miscellaneous Materials.
Personal Correspondence covers the years 1941-1965, but the bulk of it was written during World War II to members of his family and his friend Robert Alden, a reporter for the New York Times. For the years 1946-1965, the file is sketchy with gaps from 1946-1952 especially. Most of the letters are to Benjamin's wife, Alden, and other personal friends.
The Financial Records File, 1943-1965, has sizable gaps for the 1940's and 1960's. The material for the 1950's includes tax returns, 1957-1959, stock transactions, leases, receipts, expense accounts and power of attorney affidavits. Taken together, these records provide insight into Benjamin's earning power during the late 1950's.
The Personal Records File includes membership and identification cards for the various organizations to which Benjamin belonged; address books; handbooks; diaries and notebooks; personal memorabilia consisting of souvenirs from his trips and from his high school and college years, diplomas, a college transcript and a fraternity certificate; and United States' government and military materials such as passports and army induction and discharge papers.
Personal Writings include essays and drawings from high school and college; and compositions written while Benjamin was in the army, in Antarctica, and while working for the New York Times. There is also a folder of undated writings. Also included are a manuscript of Quick, Before It Melts; the unfinished manuscript of the Caribbean novel; and miscellaneous fragmentary writings consisting of poetry, et cetera.
The Professional Records File, 1944-1964, consists of correspondence relating to Benjamin's professional life, a small file of memoranda on a variety of subjects, extensive teletype reports from Antarctica to the Times and the screenplay of Quick, Before It Melts. The correspondence, most of which is from publishers who had accepted or rejected his writings, has large gaps for the late 1940's and early 1950's.
There is a relatively large file of Clippings consisting of Benjamin's articles from the Times; reviews of his book, bQuick, Before It Melts, and the motion picture based on the novel; book reviews by Benjamin, feature articles, clippings relating to Antarctica; and on miscellaneous subjects.
The Miscellaneous File includes a file of theater programs and sheet music; a large manuscript on childbirth; and a serial publication of the Times newsroom.
All files have been arranged in a chronological order where dating was possible.
