The collection consists of professional material gathered or generated by Bendiner. Although there is some correspondence dating to 1934 the majority of the papers derive from the middle and latter part of his writing career, during which time Bendiner was a contributor to several journals and contributing editor for The Reporter and The New Statesman. This material consists of professional correspondence, research materials, notes, and drafts of articles. Material other than correspondence dating after the 1960's is sparse - a 1970 article and two interviews conducted in 1983.
Because of the chronological limits of the collection, there is no material from Bendiner's first book, The Riddle of the State Department, which was published in 1942. Material from his other books, however, includes correspondence, research material, notes, drafts, galley proofs, and reviews. There is also a final script and drafts for the 1961 television special written by Bendiner with Al Wasserman on the role of the state legislator for the NBC White Papers series. Other material in the collection includes research material and the final report of a study on federal support of the performing arts prepared by Bendiner for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in 1964.
Due to the acidic nature of the paper, the entire collection has been microfilmed. The first reel of film, which contains general correspondence (1967-1984), was filmed in 1987 and catalogued as Micro 1109 so that the originals could be returned to the donor; the remainder of the collection was filmed in 1988. This fact accounts for the apparently incorrect placement of the first reel with respect to the order of the remainder of the collection. After filming, the original correspondence in the second segment of the papers was returned to the donor and other materials were destroyed.
Micro 1109 (General correspondence, 1967-1984) consists primarily of reader comments on Bendiner's various works, especially Just Around the Corner, and his replies. There are also letters exchanged with publishers, information concerning speaking engagements, and proposals for writing projects.
The bulk of the general correspondence appears with the more recently filmed material, Micro 1148, and is concentrated in the 1950's and 1960's. Much of it consists of letters to and from editors and publishers regarding anticipated or completed articles, research for articles and books, and responses and reactions to the published articles. Other letters reflect Bendiner's interest in politics and civil liberties. Correspondence which relates directly to an article or book is filed with the relevant drafts and manuscripts as part of Micro 1148.
The more recently filmed material is arranged chronologically except for miscellaneous personal material which appears first on the film. This
personal material includes biographical sketches, programs, newspaper clippings, and addresses.
The remainder of the section is filed in a standard order; for each year the papers consist of general correspondence, journal articles arranged alphabetically by title, and books or other projects. Within the overall chronological arrangement for each year, the articles are filed alphabetically by title, or if no title is apparent, by subject. The material for each article consists of varying types of documentation arranged in a standard sequence: final drafts, related correspondence, research material, notes, and early drafts. Book are arranged following the articles published during a particular year, with special projects following the books. Arrangement for book material is as follows: related correspondence, miscellaneous research material, outline or preface, chapters or parts, afterwords and bibliography, galley proofs, and reviews. The information on a chapter may include final drafts, research material, notes and early drafts. Throughout the collection only galley pages which were edited by Bendiner have been retained.
