There are two inscriptions in Baedeker’s Great Britain. One reads, “EM Biddle, July 6, 1907.” The other, “Aug 1956 EM Biddle – Gift.” The library sticker behind the front cover of the Baedeker reads, “Presented by Edward M. Biddle.”

However, a closer look on the first inscription casts some doubt. Is that “M” really an M, or is it actually a “W”? The other Ms are clearly distinguished from the other letters. Could this mean that the original owner of this Baedeker’s was a different Biddle than the one who gifted it to the Dickinson Archives?

To try and find answers, I asked the archivists for some help in tracking down the possible Biddles. We found a file on one Edward Macfunn Biddle. It included an entry for him in the Dickinson Alumni catalogue; apparently, he was at Dickinson from 1901-1904, after which he attended Yale. There is also a list of Biddle alumni at the college, which included no less than three E.M. Biddles, and one E.W. Biddle.

There is also an article on Edward M. Biddle in the file, written for The Dickinson Alumnus. According to this excerpt, his father was E.W. Biddle, a Judge and former president of the Dickinson Board of Trustees. Edward M. became a legal adviser and was an active member of his community. The most important part of this excerpt reads: “As a traveler he has been in Europe a number of times, has visited South America, as well as extended regions of the United States.” This of course indicates a possible use or ownership of this Baedeker’s guidebook, a fact exacerbated by its publication in 1906, soon after his graduation from Yale. This largely eliminates the possibility of the first inscription in the guidebook being “E.W. Biddle” as opposed to the initially-assumed “E.M. Biddle”… except that E.W. was alive until 1931, when he died unexpectedly at 79. According to the Dickinson College Archives, E.W. was practicing law until 1895, at which point he became the president judge in the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas. I have already noted the condition of my copy of Baedeker’s Great Britain – it has no annotations or inscriptions within it beyond the two at the beginning of the book, and there is very little wear beyond aging. The only clear indication of use is the broken bookmark, which could be because of age but also because of repetitive use. It is entirely possible to consider that E.W. purchased this book as a way to experience some form of travel from the comfort of his home. He also could have purchased the book as a gift for his son E.M. for graduating from Yale, which he did in 1906, and we know that he travelled. Uncertainty abounds.

The other two Biddles in the directory, both ambiguously labelled only “Biddle, Edward M.” could be ruled out, as they graduated from Dickinson in 1886 and 1852; but they might have purchased the guidebook as another form of stationary travel. Although this Baedeker’s was donated by the E.M. Biddle who graduated in 1904, the Biddle family legacy is present enough in Dickinson college that E.M. could have inherited this book from another family member and then just donated it to the archives.

Because E.M. donated this Baedeker to the archives, I thought that it might be useful to see what other books he might have donated. If these books were also travel books or possessed handwriting that could distinguish the handwriting in the initial inscription of this book, it could help in getting a concrete answer about who owned and read this book. I was able to concretely discover three other books, one of which is Baedeker’s Berlin guidebook, a book about the U.S. Senate called Sketches of Debate in the First Senate of the United States, in 1789-90-91 by William Maclay, and another called The Book of the Homeless by Edith Wharton. This could indicate his ownership over the guidebooks, but we are in the same dilemma as when we started: were these previously owned by a different Biddle?

I also found that in the same year E.M. donated these books to the college, Dickinson purchased the “Biddle House,” which is now used by the Registrar’s Office and the Career Center. This generates some questions – why sell the house but not the books? Perhaps because the Biddle family was moving away; perhaps they needed some money but couldn’t be bothered to as for money over books. The mystery of the “E. Biddle” written in this book is tentatively solved, but unless one could find the receipt of purchase for this Baedeker’s the ambiguity lives on.

Works Cited:

Dickinson College Archives on Edward W. Biddle

https://archives.dickinson.edu/people/edward-w-biddle-1852-1931

Dickinson College Archives on Edward M. Biddle

https://archives.dickinson.edu/image-archive/edward-macfunn-biddle-1933

Dickinson College Archives on the Biddle House

https://archives.dickinson.edu/image-archive/biddle-house-c1900

Fig. 1 Edwin E. Willoughby, courtesy of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Since John Lichfield first printed George Sandys’ Ovid’s Metamorphoses Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures in 1632, the copy held within the Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections has travelled across oceans, finding its way to the United States at some unknown time after its publication in Oxford. As a travel writer who spent time in the Virginia colonies in the 1620s, Sandys may have had hopes that his work would make its way to the Americas, but he likely never imagined it would end up at a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania after being owned by an alumnus who happened to be the Chief Bibliographer of the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Based on the book’s front matter, Sandys envisioned an elite, well-read audience for his work. With both a dedication and panegyric addressed to King Charles I and an address to Queen Henrietta Maria, Sandys positioned his work as worthy of the very top of English society. As a translation of a classic work, with countless other references to different myths peppered throughout, the book also assumes a learned audience with some degree of knowledge of the classics. It is unlikely that anyone without prior knowledge of Ovid and his works would be inclined to pick up Sandys’ translation. Readers would not be familiar with the text itself unless they were familiar with Metamorphosis and its myths, whether that be in Latin or in English. 

Fig. 2 The bookplate bearing Dr. Willoughby’s name.

In regards to education level, Ovid’s Metamorphoses Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures reached its intended audience in its last owner, Edwin E. Willoughby, before arriving at Dickinson College. The history of this book’s ownership in England is unknown; the name “Thomas Chadwick” appears on the title page alongside the year 1780, but this inscription does not indicate where Mr. Chadwick lived. He could have been from England, or he could have lived in the American colonies amidst the American Revolutionary War. As there is no information on him, we likely will never know. But we know for certain that this copy must have been in the United States by October of 1959, when Edwin E. Willoughby passed away with Ovid’s Metamorphoses in his possession. Dr. Willoughby was the Chief Bibliographer of the Folger Shakespeare Library from 1935-1958 and focused his scholarship on the print history of Shakespeare’s work and the history of the King James Bible (“Edwin Eliott Willoughby (1899-1959) | Dickinson College”). The bookplate pasted into the cover of Ovid’s Metamorphoses identifies this particular book as part of the gift Dr. Willoughby’s sister, Dr. Frances Willoughby, made to Dickinson in memory of her brother (See Figure 2).

During his career, Dr. Willoughby acquired many rare books for his own personal collection and sent a number to the library at his alma mater, Dickinson College. In their file on Dr. Willoughby, the Archives possesses multiple memos from college librarians thanking Dr. Willoughby for gifting copies of various works. On one occasion, while working as the Chief Bibliographer at the Folger Shakespeare Library, he gifted the college a 1608 “Black letter” edition of the Geneva Bible and c. 1611-1613 copy of the “Great She” Bible (See Figures 3 and 4). The large gift Frances Willoughby made in honor of her brother in 1960 was the last in a long series of philanthropic donations started by Dr. Willoughby himself decades prior. 

Fig. 3 The notecard recording Dr. Willoughby’s gift of a Geneva Bible.

Fig. 4 The notecard recording Dr. Willoughby’s gift of a “Great She” Bible

Notably, there are no records of Frances Willoughby donating this particular edition, the 1632 Ovid’s Metamorphoses Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures, in any of Dickinson’s archival records. There are a few documents that mention Ovid’s Metamorphoses by name as part of the Willoughby gift, but they all designate it as the 1626 edition (See Figure 5). The Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections does not own the 1626 edition of Sandys’ translation, which I confirmed by checking the catalog of the archives’ physical holdings. This left me with two possible explanations to this discrepancy; one was that at some point Dickinson did own a 1626 edition, and that acquisition was highlighted in the documentation, but was excised from the archives in the years since. The alternative is that either Dr. Frances Willoughby or the librarians cataloging the gift mistook this 1632 edition of the text for the 1626 edition and recorded it incorrectly. I consulted with our archivists, Jim Gerencser and Malinda Triller-Doran, and the three of us were in agreement that the latter explanation was far more likely. Had a 1626 edition of Sandys’ Ovid’s Metamorphoses been excised, it would have been under Jim’s direction, and he explained that he would have never gotten rid of a rare book that was part of the Willoughby collection. 

Fig. 5 Document mentioning Sandys’ 1626 translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses as part of the collection donated to the Dickinson College Library in 1960.

Jim’s insight meant that a copy of the 1626 edition likely never existed in the Dickinson College Archives, so at some point in the donation and cataloging process, someone made an error. Had it been simply the wrong year that was recorded, one might not dwell too long on it, as human error is common and there were no computers in 1960 to keep the streamlined catalogs that the archives have today. But it was more than just the year—all archival documents record the full information for the 1626 edition, which include the publisher and location of publication (William Stansby, London) and the complete title, Ovid’s Metamorphoses English’d. John Lichfield published the 1632 edition in Oxford and it had a much longer title which signified its status as an illustrated translation. Furthermore, this information is all located on the title page of the text. One would only have to open the book to realize that the copy in the archives’ possession was the 1632 illustrated edition, not Sandys’ 1626 translation. I cannot account for this mistake, nor can Jim and Malinda, but it demonstrates the incredible responsibility book collectors, conservationists, archivists, and librarians have when it comes to the texts they preside over. Making mistakes is human, and easy, but misrecorded information can also affect the work and research of future students and scholars. Fortunately, the online catalog correctly lists the 1632 edition as the version that Dickinson College holds in the archives.

Works Cited

“Edwin Eliott Willoughby (1899-1959) | Dickinson College.” Dickinson.edu, 2019, archives.dickinson.edu/people/edwin-eliott-willoughby-1899-1959. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Gerencser, Jim and Malinda Triller-Doran. Personal Interview. 2 December 2024. 

How might the history of a publisher bring a book into context—even with no indication of who actually edited it? A Selection of One Hundred and Forty of the Most Favourite English, Scotch, Irish, and American Songs was published by the press of “A. Loudon,” as according to its title page. Archibald Loudon’s deep roots in Carlisle, PA provide a clear outline of his cultural and publishing interests. They even strongly suggest an answer to the mystery of whether he himself edited A Selection, or if he republished the whole collection. One of the few things we can attempt to trace about the book are Loudon’s reasons for publishing it, beginning with the context surrounding his career.

Books were Loudon’s “life-long pursuit” according to historian Eric Fretz. Loudon’s frantic history of inserting himself into early Carlisle’s publishing world reflects this passion: even before the opening of his own publishing press, he participated in the book-loving community of the town. He engaged in book-binding, sold stationary, and was established postmaster of Carlisle in 1802 (Fretz 62). His duties as postmaster were not unimportant tasks, and impacted the spread of information locally. The management of post caused political opinion impact, influenced monetary management, and the title itself indicated a position of high governmental trust. Hungry for more, he officially began his publishing career through a friend: George Kline, who printed Loudon’s publications prior to the opening of Loudon’s press in 1804 (Fretz 62). As for A Selection, it was published by Loudon’s own press in 1806, fresh off the excitement of its opening two years prior.

Loudon’s devotion to the literature-world of Carlisle was so intense that despite the small magnitude of his success as a publisher, more than one historian (including Eric Fretz and William A. Hunter) considers him one of the most important printers of early Carlisle. Fretz characterizes Loudon as a “disseminator of early American culture” (Fretz 61), justifying this title by describing his varied publishing interests and role as postmaster. Loudon did, in fact, intend to spread his publications as far as possible, and to do so by appealing to the most popular subjects of the time. Loudon was known to be “keen as to social trends” (Fretz 64), and seemed to attempt to balance these wider social trends with local interests. He spent much of his effort editing his most well-known publications, a series of “true accounts” taken from a number of American-colonial interviewees regarding their encounters with local indigenous American populations. American “frontier” stories were a consistent interest of Loudon’s and of the larger Pennsylvania populace at the time, too: stories of white settlers waging war against Native Americans spread rapidly (Fretz 64). His enthusiasm for spreading local stories continued through the establishment of his own paper, The Cumberland Register, from 1805-1813 (Hunter). But Loudon was also infatuated with the world of art, especially theater. He published a significant number of plays, was a well-known enjoyer of music, and even published the work of a little-known Cumberland County poet, Isabella Oliver (Fretz 62). Loudon was ardent, and his publications from his own press were both edited and printed by him. Considering all this interest in music and theater, A Selection joins the ranks of a large number of artistic publications that Loudon dedicated time to during his career, bearing the obvious mark of his press:

The image above displays the book imprint of A Selection, “Whitehall,” used as Loudon’s imprint from 1805-1809 (Schaumann). The nickname refers to the white walls of Loudon’s press, formerly located at 28 High Street. In fact, his old paper press from the building was obtained by the Cumberland County Historical Society—it hasn’t moved very far! It stands in the museum as a reminder of the early impact of Loudon’s press, and I’ve included an image of it for reference. (For context, the paper press would’ve been used to make paper sheets more even, flat, and dry by pressing. The plaque next to the press includes these details.) The “Whitehall” imprint, displayed clearly in A Selection’s front page, is another bold reminder of Loudon’s press and the pride he took in it.

Another point of pride for Loudon was his ancestry. From what I can tell, it has influenced nearly all of his publication interests, A Selection included due to its inclusion of Scottish and Irish songs in its compilation. In fact, though there is no indication of which songs are of which cultural origin, Eric Fretz identifies the majority as Scottish (63). Loudon’s parents were Scottish immigrants, and moved to America in 1754 (Hunter). Most families in Carlisle during its early history as a town were made up at least in part of Scottish or Irish folks who immigrated to British colonial America. Another significant part of A Selection is American “frontier” songs, ones discussing the founding fathers, military power, and colonization, especially George Washington (Fretz 63). These songs accurately showcase Loudon’s blatant “pioneering” interests (Hunter), and correlate with his most popular publications of stories of war with Indigenous Americans. In fact, Loudon’s family has a history of violent conflict with local Native American populations, attempting first to settle on Indigenous land before relocating, causing Loudon to eventually settle in Cumberland County (Hunter). William A. Hunter notably skims swiftly past the conflict between Loudon’s family and local Indigenous peoples, choosing to focus on how it impacted his future edited story collection. However, there is far more substance to this direct link, including his consistent interest in popular “frontier” stories, his dedication to “disseminating” Scottish/Irish-American colonial stories, and the American songs included in A Selection.

Interestingly, through a Cumberland County Historical Society article on Loudon, I’ve been able to find a portrait of him, as seen above. He appears quite stoic, his expression neutral and focused and his dress professional. He’s perhaps distant, both in his place in the larger space of the portrait and in the way he faces the side, not the front, and does not look at the viewer. There aren’t any extra objects, colors, or lighting included in the portrait, leaving all the focus on Loudon and his impression. From my research, the portrait seems to be an accurate depiction of his hunger for himself and his business to be seen and successful, and this intensity and focus comes across. The portrait, though unrelated to A Selection, makes an interesting addition to supplement Loudon’s familial background, career, and known character.

With those three attributes above for context, it becomes clear why Loudon would take interest in publishing A Selection. But the mystery remains of whether Loudon reprinted the compilation entirely, or edited the selection himself, something that Eric Fretz only touches on briefly as a question (63). To me, however, answering this question is vital to my thinking about my project—so I’ll offer a hypothesis with the above evidence I’ve gathered. Due to Loudon’s personal connections with the cultural origins and topics of the songs included in A Selection, I believe he had some hand in editing the collection. The subject of the compiled songs align with Loudon’s publication history, and with his interest in art and music. This would imply that the “most favourite” songs were Loudon’s own “most favourite,” adding personality and clarity to the book’s title. After all, why would the songs not be some of Loudon’s “most favourite” if he took pride in colonial expansion and his Scottish ancestry?

The main issue with this answer is that Scottish and Irish immigrants made up the majority population of Carlisle. It isn’t impossible that the compilation in its entirety could have existed prior to A Selection’s publication, and suited the interests of another editor or publisher. However, since I am unable to find proof of its existence prior to Loudon’s publication (as are the historians discussing early Carlisle publications), I’ve settled largely into my previous theory. If nothing else, it is a fictitious story that ties Loudon’s history and this book’s publication together in a neat and well-researched bow.

Bibliography:

A Selection of One Hundred and Forty of the Most Favourite English, Scotch, Irish, and American Songs. 1806. SC 398 87 S698.

Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections.

Fretz, Eric. “Archibald Loudon of Carlisle: Disseminator of Early American Culture.” Cumberland County History, vol. VII, no. 2., pp.

61-67. Cumberland County Historical Society.

Hunter, William A. “Archibald Loudon, Pioneer Historian.”1962. C H H947a. Cumberland County Historical Society.

Schaumann, Merri Lou. “Archibald Loudon (1754-1840).” Elizabeth V. and George F. Gardner Library, Cumberland County

Historical Society, gardnerlibrary.org/encyclopedia/archibald-loudon-1754-1840.

Image Credits:

Oil on canvas of Archibald Loudon, painted in 1807 by Cezeron (1952.005.001).

https://gardnerlibrary.org/encyclopedia/archibald-loudon-1754-1840.

Remainder of images taken by iPhone, by author.