American Scholar Records
Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm78046987
General International Standard for Archival Description
Manuscript Division Library of Congress Washington, D.C.
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2011
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
American Scholar Records 1926-2006 (bulk 1944-2005)
American Scholar
Biographical History for: American Scholar Records 1926-2006 (bulk 1944-2005)
Magazine History Date Event 1932 Founded by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, New York, N.Y. 1932-1943 William Allison Shimer, editor 1943-1944 Marjorie Hope Nicolson, interim editor 1944-1973 Hiram Haydn, editor 1951 Editorial office moved to Williamsburg, Va. 1954 Editorial office moved to Washington, D.C. 1973-1997 Joseph Epstein, editor 1997-2004 Anne Fadiman, editor 2004- Robert Wilson, editor
Scope and Content Note The American Scholar is a quarterly magazine of public affairs, literature, science, history, and culture published by the Phi Beta Kappa Society since 1932. Its records span the years 1926-2006, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period between 1944 and 2005. The collection is arranged in three parts. While the American Scholar is anchored in the academic world, it is produced for a public audience and modeled on the call for independent thinking and interaction with the world as expressed in Ralph Waldo Emerson's Harvard College speech in 1837 of the same name. The editors of the publication built the magazine around a core of polished essays and wide-ranging book reviews. The volumes include poetry and, since 2006, fiction, along with varying departments, such as an editor's column, writer's journals, or thematic gleanings designated as “Commonplace Book.” Publication of reader replies has been a constant throughout its history. Part I The records of Part I of the American Scholar span the years 1926-1980, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period between 1944 and 1976. It is arranged by accession number in the order in which it was received by the Library and thereunder as General Editorial File, Author File, or Miscellany. The General Editorial File documents the daily activities of publishing the quarterly magazine. The correspondence reveals the relationship between the editor and his staff, especially after the editorial office moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, while the editor remained in New York. The routine tasks involved in printing, advertising, and distributing the magazine are also detailed. A significant aspect of this series is the correspondence between the editor and the members of the editorial board who were recognized authorities in a variety of fields. The Author File contains correspondence with authors who submitted material to the magazine. It is possible to follow the progress of a manuscript from original submission through publication and the file includes comments by editorial board members, revisions or suggestions for revision, and requests for reprints. Very few of the actual manuscripts remain in the files; they were apparently returned to the author after publication or rejection. Part II Part II of the records of the American Scholar spans the years 1931-1988, with the bulk concentrated in the period 1976-1988. It is arranged in General Editorial File, Author File, and Miscellany series. The earliest correspondence and financial reports in the General Editorial File pertain to the launching of the magazine and its formative years. Most of the later correspondence concerns regular features such as "The Revolving Bookstand," a book review column, and "The Reader Replies," a column for subscribers' responses to articles and occasionally rebuttals from the authors. The Author File contains correspondence with authors who submitted articles for publication, including those authors who were rejected. In addition, the editor frequently solicited articles from well-known scholars. There is some overlap between the General Editorial File and the Author File because many writers who contributed regularly to standing departments of the magazine also submitted feature articles. Some of the correspondence pertains to copyright transfers and reprint permissions. The Miscellany series primarily consists of correspondence soliciting poetry for publication. Included are Japanese sketches presented to Hiram Haydn as a Christmas greeting in 1957. Part III Part III of the records of the American Scholar spans the years 1984-2006, with the bulk concentrated in the period 1984-2005. It is arranged in Correspondence and Production File series. The Correspondence File principally documents administrative matters of publication and includes exchanges between editors and staff and the authors of articles, book reviews, poetry, and other regular departments of the magazine. The series also includes correspondence from readers and subscribers as well as business files on printing, binding, advertising, and promotion. Alphabetical lists of authors prepared by American Scholar staff are included for files dated 2000-2006. The Production File documents the editorial work of the magazine and includes original manuscripts, edited drafts, corrected galleys, as well as editorial correspondence with authors and between the staff who worked from afar at separate locations while communicating heavily by email and fax, with print copies preserved in the files. The editorial process during this phase of publication is described by Anne Fadiman in her final 2004 “Letter from the Editor,” as pouring each piece through a “series of increasingly fine-gauged sieves.” Records for volumes dated 1984-1997 were arranged by American Scholar staff as “Original Manuscripts” and “Author's Galleys.” The revised arrangement of records for volumes dated 1998-2005 reflects the organization of the magazine during this later period. The American Scholar published works by noted authors, academic stars, Nobel Laureates, as well as new and otherwise obscure writers. Indexes printed in the Autumn issue of each volume facilitates location of specific works. The American Scholar Website http://www.theamericanscholar.org/ provides a searchable database of authors, articles, and keywords useful in locating related material in these records.
series
Part I: Accession No. 13,595, General Editorial File, 1932-1957
Correspondence, memoranda, and other items pertaining to the operations of publishing the American Scholar, its policies, organization, and relationships with advertising representatives, editorial board, Phi Beta Kappa, and printers. Includes editorial correspondence with authors contributing to continuing departments of the magazine, such as editorials and book reviews.
file
Advertising
Circulation
General
Analysis
Editorial
Advisers
Board
Correspondence
Readers' comments
General reprint permission
Printing and production
Promotion and publicity
Readers' Council
Promotion
By American Scholar
James, William and Eleanor
Miscellaneous
American Scholar Series
Bookstores
Renewal figures
Members
Barzun, Jacques
Brooks, Van Wyck
Commager, Henry Steele
Duffus, Robert L.
Edman, Irwin
Frank, Jerome
Gauss, Christian
Howe, Will D.
Lerner, Max
Nason, John W.
Nielson, William A.
Nicolson, Marjorie Hope
Robeson, Paul
Shapley, Harlow
Stauffer, Donald
Van Doren, Irita
Welles, Sumner
Whicher, George Frisbie
"American Scholar Forum"
Autumn 1946
Winter 1946-1947
Spring 1947
Summer 1947
General correspondence
A-F
G-Z
Wells, Carleton F.
Haydn, Hiram, personal file
Readers' Forum
"The Reader Replies," summer 1947
Rumford Press
Printing estimates
Press releases
Special mailings, 1946-1947
Survey
Einstein, Albert
Publicity
Advertising, William and Eleanor James
Circulation, bookstores
Board members
Hamilton, Walton E.
Niebuhr, Reinhold
Autumn 1947
Winter 1947-1948
Spring 1948
Summer 1948
Editors' of other magazines comments on fifteenth anniversary issue, autumn 1947
"The Reader Replies"
Miscellaneous, Oct. 1947-Aug. 1948
Binding
Syndication agreements
William Byrd Press
Special mailings
Single-copy mailing
New member
Elections
Meetings
Hamilton, Walton
Locke, Alain
Schlesinger, Arthur M., (1917-2007)
Editorials, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Secundus
Autumn 1948
Winter 1948-1949
Spring 1949
Summer 1949
Portraits
Hand, Learned
DuBois, W. E. B.
Miscellaneous, 1948-1949
Gauss, Christian, 1948
Direct mail
New members
Clippings
Ford, Guy Stanton
Autumn 1949
Winter 1949-1950
Spring 1950
Bailey, Liberty Hyde
Henderson, Archibald
Schweitzer, Albert
Summer 1950
Miscellaneous, 1949-1950
Gregg, Alan
Editorials
Autumn 1950
Winter 1950-1951
Spring 1951
Summer 1951
Portraits, Liberty Hyde Bailey
Winter, 1950-1951
Miscellaneous, 1950-1951
"The Revolving Bookstand"
Committee
Publishers
Reviewers
Brinton, Crane
Gellhorn, Walter
Moe, Henry Allen
Redding, J. Saunders
Sears, Paul B.
Autumn 1951
Winter 1951-1952
Spring 1952
Summer 1952
Haydn, Hiram
Phi Beta Kappa
Manuscripts received
Portraits, Christian Gauss
Miscellaneous, 1951-1952
Hodes-Daniel Co.
Request for American Scholar list
"American Scholar Forum," autumn 1952
Personal file
American Scholar, Aug. 1952-July 1953
Autumn 1952
Winter 1952-1953
Spring 1953
Summer 1953
Miscellaneous, 1952-1953
University presses
Circulation, request for American Scholar list
Autumn 1953
Spring 1954
Winter 1953-1954
Summer 1954
Miscellaneous, 1953-1954
Printing and production, William Byrd Press
Foundations investigation
Personnel
Portraits, Alvin Johnson, winter 1954-1955
Autumn 1954
Winter 1954-1955
Spring 1955
Summer 1955
Commercial
Miscellaneous, 1954-1955
"Scholar's Scratch Pad"
Circulation, bookstores and newsstands
Autumn 1955
Spring 1956
Summer 1956
Miscellaneous, 1955-1956
Winter 1955-1956
"Scholar's Scratch Pad," summer 1956
Special mailings, autumn 1955
Analysis, May 1957
Bookstores and newsstands
Forums (controversy), spring 1957
Personal
Portraits, summer 1957
Autumn 1956
Winter 1956-1957
Spring 1957
Summer 1957
Miscellaneous, 1956-1957
"Scholar's Scratch Pad," summer 1957
Part I: Accession No. 13,595, Miscellaneous, 1957-1960
Undated letters, clippings, and reprints from the American Scholar that postdates other files in this accession. Organized by type of material.
Unfiled material, 1957-1960
Undated letters
Clippings and reprints from American Scholar
Part I: Accession No. 13,595, Author File, circa 1930s-1957
Correspondence with authors of articles and poems. Includes correspondence with authors whose manuscripts were rejected and those who turned down invitations to submit articles.
Pre-1946
A-Cl
Coh-Gor
Gou-Kand
Kant-Mc
Me-Rz
Sa-We
Wh-Z
A-Ce
Ch-Gl
Go-Kz
La-Ri
Ro-Wi
Wo-Z
A-Dz
E-Lz
Ma-U
V-Z
A-Fl
Fo-P
Ra-Z
A-B
Ca-I
J-R
Sa-Z
A-E
F-Q
R-Z
A-Bo
Br-He
Hi-Rz
A-Ca
Ch-K
La-Sta
Ste-Z
F-M
N-Z
B-Hol
Hoo-Se
Sh-Z
G-V
A-L
M-Z
1952-1955, editorial comment sheets
Part I: Accession No. 15,221, General Editorial File, 1957-1960
Advertising representative, Eleanor James
Members, 1955-1958
Autumn 1957
Winter 1957-1958
Spring 1958
Summer 1958
Miscellaneous, 1957-1958
Copyright transfers
Forums
Index
Manuscripts received, Aug. 1957-July 1958
Reprint permissions
Representative, Eleanor James
Autumn 1958
Winter 1958-1959
Spring 1959
Summer 1959
Miscellaneous, 1958-1959
Manuscripts received, Aug. 1958-July 1959
Poetry issue, summer 1959
Contest correspondence, finalists, judges, promotion, winners, contestants
"Scholar's Scratch Pad," winter 1958-1959
Printing and production, William Byrd Press, Aug. 1958-July 1959
Autumn 1959
Winter 1959-1960
Spring 1960
Summer 1960
Miscellaneous, 1959-1960
Bills and estimates
Part I: Accession No. 15,221, Author File, 1957-1960
A-O
P-Z
F-R
S-Z
A-H
I-Z
Part I: Accession No. 15,221, Miscellaneous, 1926-1965
Correspondence, memoranda, and other items that relate to earlier or later accessions.
circa 1931-1933, promotion and publicity
circa 1932-1938
circa 1935-1938
Erskine, John
Permissions
1937, expiration letters
Graham, William C.
1930s, reprints for authors
circa 1940-1944
circa 1940-1945
1942, sample copies sent out
Copies to go on author's request
Wilson H. Lee Co.
circa 1943-1944, Wendell L. Willkie
1943, advertisements for summer issue
1944, special circulation projects
1946-1947, "Brown" book, log of articles submitted
1947-1950, "Brown" book, log of articles submitted
1952-1953, inactive projects
1953-1955, incomplete
Prospective manuscripts
Editorial comments
circa 1954-1955, book correspondence
circa 1953-1961
circa 1955-1965
"Black" notebook, log of articles submitted
Haydn, Hiram, and Mary Moore Molony
Undated, editorial production
Part I: Accession No. 16,509, Author File, 1960-1970
G-Q
C-I
C-H
I-R
J-Q
F-Mc
M-V
W-Z
A-D
E-L
M-S
T-Z
A-C
D-L
B-G
H-Mc
M-U
V-W
Part I: Accession No. 16,509, General Editorial File, 1951-1970
Articles solicited, autumn 1964 special issue
Elections, 1964-1967
Expired terms
Members, 1952-1960
Books, 1960-1961
Book reviews, university presses, spring 1964
Autumn 1968
Winter 1968-1969
Spring 1969
Autumn 1969
Winter 1969-1970
Spring 1970
Summer 1970
Commercial, 1960-1969
University presses, 1960-1970
Neglected books, spring 1970
Autumn 1960
Winter 1960
Spring 1961
Summer 1961
Autumn 1961
Winter 1961
Spring 1962
Summer 1962
Autumn 1962
Winter 1962
Spring 1963
Summer 1963
Autumn 1963
Winter 1963
Summer 1964
Autumn 1964-1965
Winter 1964-1965
Spring 1964-1965
Summer 1964-1965
Autumn 1965
Winter 1965-1966
Spring 1966
Summer 1966
Autumn 1966
Winter 1966-1967
Spring 1967
Summer 1967
Special features, 1965
Controversy
Correspondence, articles for special autumn 1969 issue
Copyright transfers, cross-reference sheets
Corrections
Cybernetics, spring 1966
Delegate's manual, council meeting
Exchange subscriptions, correspondence, 1963-1973
Essay contest, autumn 1967
Financial survey, 1954-1956
Fuller, Buckminster, address at Vision 65 meeting (copies of letters sent and received)
A-M
Phi Beta Kappa, 1960-1970
Readers comments on "Humanism in 1984," winter 1965-1966
Replies to readers' reply letters, spring 1966
International solicitations, summer 1963
Journalism and mischief, Authors' Guild panel, 1968
Krutch, Joseph Wood, 1959-1970
Miscellaneous, bookstores, 1956-1968
Morality symposium, 1964-1966
"The Old Left and the New," symposium, autumn 1967
Personnel, 1960-1969
Poetry
Contest
Submissions, 1969-1972
Prairie Schooner
Bills
General, 1960-1963
Prints by New York, N.Y., painters, summer 1970
Privacy series
Miscellany
Winter 1960-1961
Winter 1961-1962
Winter 1962-1963
Winter 1963-1964
Spring 1964
Autumn 1964
Spring 1965
Summer 1965
Autumn 1967
Winter 1967-1968
Spring 1968
Summer 1968
Summer 1969
Reprint permissions, 1960-1970
Reprinting, best articles and stories, 1956-1961
Royalties list
Southern Illinois conference (Vision 65)
Unesco conference, 1960-1961
Undergraduate issue, autumn 1967
University Press book list, winter 1962-1963
Violence in Literature Symposium, summer 1968
Writers' Congress Symposium, summer 1966
Zahl, Paul, "A Look Around"
Part I: Accession No. 17,500, General Editorial File, 1965-1972
Board members, expired terms, 1970
Crime issue
Comments by prisoners, "The Revolving Bookstand," Aug. 1971
General, 1971
Correspondence, invitations and declinations, 1971
Controversy, spring 1971
Copyright transfers, cross-reference sheets, 1970-1972
General correspondence, 1970-1972
Haydn, Hiram, scholarship correspondence, 1972
Personnel, job applications, 1965-1972
William Byrd Press, 1970-1972
Commercial publishers, 1970-1972
University presses, 1970-1972
Prisoners' contest, Aug. 1971
Autumn 1970
Winter 1970-1971
Spring 1971
Summer 1971
Autumn 1971
Winter 1971-1972
Spring 1972
Summer 1972
Reprint permissions, cross-reference sheets, 1970-1972
Summer reading, 1972
Tearsheets and reprints, requests for, 1970-1972
Part I: Accession No. 17,500, Author File, 1970-1973
A-G
M-R
B-F
G-Mc
Part I: Accession No. 18,559, General Editorial File, 1933-1980
Glass, Bentley, suggestions, 1965-1966
Black authors, names and addresses, 1969
Books
Winter 1975-1976
Spring 1976
Summer 1976
Comments on article by Pandarus (pseudonym), spring 1974
Cournos, John, review copies sent to, 1953-1966
Freeman, Robert Eliot, "Gov. Approaches to Social Problems," 1973
Harvard University Library, Cambridge, Mass., review, 1963
Haydn, Hiram, 1971
Latin American issues
Love, Iris C., 1970-1971
Motherwell-Styron-Coles, tape on youth
New columns, 1970
Odren, Richard, review copies sent to, 1960-1961
Original copy
Autumn 1979
Winter 1979-1980
Spring 1980
Summer 1980
Paperback book series, 1962-1963
Phi Beta Kappa (old files), 1933
Poet's issue, 1973-1974
Autumn 1973
Winter 1973-1974
Spring 1974
Summer 1974
Winter 1974-1975
Spring 1975
Summer 1975
Autumn 1975
Reprint permissions, 1964-1967
Rockefeller Foundation, American Scholar features considered for publication in book form, 1957-1967
Scientists' project (old), 1973-1974
Standards issue, 1971
Tearsheets and reprints, requests for, 1973-1974
Women's issue
Part I: Accession No. 18,559, Author File, 1973-1976
D-K
L-R
E-K
L-Q
E-J
K-O
P-S
Part II: General Editorial File, 1931-1988
Correspondence, personnel data, and financial material relating to the operations of publishing the magazine.
General correspondence, 1931-1938
Miscellany, 1935-1937
Printing bids, 1931-1935
Promotion and circulation, 1931-1937
Editorial board, 1943-1949
Financial papers, 1937-1949
General correspondence, 1941
Miscellany, 1942-1946
Promotion and circulation, 1946-1949
Editorial board, 1953-1955
Financial papers, 1950-1956
General correspondence, 1953-1958
Miscellany, 1950-1958, n.d.
1960s, general correspondence, 1966-1969
Editorial board, 1970-1971
General correspondence, 1970-1971
Miscellany, 1970-1971
General correspondence, 1972
Review copies requested, 1971-1972
General, 1971-1973
J-Z
Haydn, Hiram, 1972-1973
Editorial board, 1972-1973
Miscellany, 1972, n.d.
Personnel, 1972-1973
Autumn, 1972
Winter, 1972
Summer, 1972-1973
Review copies requested, 1972-1973
Autumn, 1971-1972
Spring, 1972-1973
Summer, 1973
Women's forum
Preliminary correspondence, 1972
Participants, 1972
Transcripts and notes, 1972
1973-1974, general correspondence, 1974
1975-1976, general correspondence, 1976
Autumn, 1974-1976
Winter, 1975-1977
Spring, 1976-1977
Summer, 1976-1977
General correspondence, 1976-1977
Autumn, 1976
Winter, 1976-1977
Autumn, 1976-1977
Spring, 1977-1978
Summer, 1977-1978
General correspondence, 1977-1978
Autumn, 1977
Spring, 1977
Autumn, 1977-1979
Winter, 1977-1978
Summer, 1977-1979
General correspondence, 1978-1979
Autumn, 1977-1978
Spring, 1978-1979
Summer, 1979
Who Reads Novels – A Symposium, 1978-1979
Autumn, 1978-1979
Winter, 1979
Spring, 1978-1980
Summer, 1979-1980
General correspondence, 1979-1980
Autumn, 1979
Spring, 1979-1980
Summer, 1980
Review copies requested, 1979-1980
Epstein, Joseph, 1980
General correspondence, 1980-1981
Personnel, 1980-1981
Autumn, 1980
Winter, 1980
Spring, 1980
Summer, 1980-1981
Review copies requested, 1980-1981
Epstein, Joseph, 1981
General correspondence, 1981-1982
Autumn, 1981
Winter, 1981
Spring, 1981-1982
Summer, 1981-1982
Review copies requested
Epstein, Joseph, 1981-1982
General, 1981-1982
Budget request, 1982-1983
General correspondence, 1982-1983
Personnel, 1982-1983
Autumn, 1982
Winter, 1982
Spring, 1982-1983
Summer, 1983
Epstein, Joseph, 1982-1983
General, 1982-1983
Budget, 1984
General correspondence, 1983-1984
Autumn, 1983
Winter, 1983
Spring, 1982-1984
Summer, 1983-1984
Epstein, Joseph
General, 1983-1984
Epstein, Joseph, 1984-1985
General, 1984-1985
Autumn, 1984
Spring, 1984-1985
Summer, 1984-1985
General correspondence, 1985-1986
Autumn, 1985
Winter, 1985
Spring, 1985-1986
Summer, 1984-1986
General correspondence, 1986-1987
Autumn, 1986-1987
Winter, 1985-1986
Spring, 1986
Summer, 1986-1987
General correspondence, 1987-1988
Winter, 1987
Spring, 1987-1988
Summer, 1987-1988
Part II: Author File, 1932-1988
Correspondence with authors submitting articles and poems to the American Scholar, including those which were rejected. Also letters from the editors soliciting articles.
Pre-1970
Hae-Mat, 1970-1972
May-Syk, 1967-1972
Fai-Kop, 1971-1977
Kor-Rix, 1964-1977
Lien-Stei, 1976-1979
Stel-Zwei, 1976-1979
Cad-Hit, 1978-1980
Hoc-Owe, 1976-1980
Pai-Ste, 1979-1981
Sto-Zwe, 1976-1981
Abb-Blu, 1973-1982
Bob-Her, 1972-1982
Hic-Mus, 1968-1982
Ear-Kel, 1980-1983
Ken-Sex, 1977-1983
Sha-Zwe, 1977-1983
Aar-Blu, 1978-1984
Bob-Giv, 1980-1984
Gla-Mik, 1975-1984
Mil-Tyl, 1980-1984
Pai-Wel, 1981-1985
Wer-Zuc, 1982-1985
Kie-Rid, 1981-1986
Rif-Wet, 1984-1986
Eas-Kel, 1982-1988
Kem-Mom, 1983-1988
Mon-Rye, 1981-1988
Part II: Miscellany, 1957-1986
Correspondence regarding articles and poems accepted by the American Scholar, but never published. Includes Japanese art presented to editor Hiram Haydn.
Articles and poems purchased, not used
Berkeley, Edmund C., 1962
General, 1960-1983
Lorenz, Clarissa, 1973-1976
Japanese artwork, 1957
Poetry solicited, 1974-1986
Part III: Correspondence, 1988-2006
Correspondence with authors and general correspondence with readers, printers, and business contacts.
Authors
F-K
S-W
X-Z
“A-Z” miscellaneous
Nieman, Tom
Reader replies
D-G
I-L
N-R
D-H
I-M
Ravitch, Diane
C-E
G-H
N-Q
S-U
C-F
I -L
Moynihan, Daniel P.
N-O
P-R
G-J
L-M
Subscriber comments
C-D
F-I
J-L
S-V
Binding problems
F-G
Lancaster Press
Quotations
Forum on American history
Fax cover sheets
Tearsheets
I- L
T-W
F-H
Kazin, Alfred, memorial
List of authors
D-F
G-I
M-O
U-Z
E-I
K-M
B-C
I-O
P-T
C-G
H-L
Part III: Production File, 1984-2006
Original manuscripts, edited drafts, and author's galleys of articles, book reviews, essays, poetry, and other departments of the magazine, along with editorial correspondence.
Winter
Author's galleys
Original manuscripts
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Articles
Departments
Departments and miscellany
Dummy
Arts
Article