Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1350

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

0.4 linear_foot (1 box)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Lewis Mumford supplementary collection, Ms. Coll. 1350, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1926-1978 (inclusive)

Creator:

Mumford, Lewis

Form:

Writings (documents), Correspondence, and Bibliographies

Abstract:

Lewis Mumford (1895–1990) was one of the foremost American intellectuals of the twentieth century. This collection consists of material by or about Lewis Mumford which was purchased to supplement the Lewis Mumford papers, circa 1905-1987, Ms. Coll. 2.

Lewis Mumford (1895–1990) was one of the foremost American intellectuals of the twentieth century. He has described himself as a "generalist," and in his distinguished career as a writer he has covered a vast territory with both depth and insight. Believing that knowledge had become too fragmentary in the modern age, he sought to build bridges across academic disciplines and to synthesize information from various specialties. Mumford's audience was the educated layman, and in his numerous writings, which included over two dozen books and nearly one thousand articles and book reviews, he challenged his public to think in new ways. As a critic of American literature, art, and architecture, Mumford informed his readership about new developments in Europe, while at the same time he uncovered buried riches from the nation's past. The city in all of its historical, sociological, and technological aspects occupied a special place in his vision of man's past and future potential. While he is primarily remembered for his writings in these areas, the extraordinary catholicity of Mumford's intellectual interests also included the history of religious and philosophical thought, the pre- and post-World War II political scene, and the state of American education.

For a more detailed biographical note on Lewis Mumford, please see the finding aid for the Lewis Mumford papers, circa 1905-1987, Ms. Coll. 2.

This collection consists of material by or about Lewis Mumford which was purchased to supplement the Lewis Mumford papers, circa 1905-1987, Ms. Coll. 2. As such, this collection is diverse and varied. Researchers should use this collection in conjunction with other collections containing Mumford materials at the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania.