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Betty Fussell Papers

Call Number

MSS.160

Dates

1947-2011, inclusive
; 1966-2009, bulk

Creator

Fussell, Betty Harper

Extent

56 Linear Feet
in 52 record cartons, 2 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize flat boxes, one flat box, one CD box.

Extent

136 audiocassettes
35 audiocassettes, 101 mini audiocassettes

Extent

27 videocassettes

Extent

12 3.5" floppy disks

Extent

16 electronic discs (cd-rom)

Extent

7 sound disc (cd)

Extent

7 sound discs (minidisc)

Extent

4 dvd-r disks

Extent

16 Gigabytes
1 USB flash drive

Language of Materials

Materials are primarily in English, with some items in French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Portuguese, and Chinese.

Abstract

Betty Harper Fussell is an essayist and author of 12 books, including biographies, memoirs, cookbooks, and food histories. Her essays on food, food history, travel, and the arts have appeared in scholarly journals, national magazines and newspapers over the past 40 years. This collection consists of materials related to her food research, lectures, and writings, dating from the mid 20th century to 2012.

Biographical / Historical

Betty Harper Fussell is an essayist and author of 12 books, including biographies, memoirs, cookbooks, and food histories. She holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in English literature. Her essays on food travel and the arts have appeared in scholarly journals, national magazines and newspapers over the past 40 years. She maintains a personal website, https://www.bettyfussell.com.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged at the series level. Series I and II are further arranged to the sub-series level, maintaining original order when evident: Series I, Research and Subject Files Subseries 1, Places Subseries 2, Foods, alphabetized Subseries 3, General notes

Series II, Writings, Interviews, Lectures, Classes Subseries 1, Betty Fussell Books and Related Materials Subseries 2, Betty Fussell Articles, Interviews, Lectures and Classes; Contributions to Works by Others

Series III, Events and Correspondence

Series IV, Media, Graphics, Books

Scope and Contents

The Betty Fussell Papers consist of materials Fussell created and collected for her research and publications on food history, international cuisines, and cooking. In particular, the collection documents her creation of several cookbooks and food histories focused on US regional foods and specific ingredients, such as corn and beef. The collection contains many interviews with prominent 20th century food writers and chefs, such as James Beard, Craig Claiborne, M. F. K. Fisher, Alice Waters, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Materials also chronicle Fussell's evolving sense of her personal identity as a woman, scholar, and food historian of the 20th century. Document types include manuscripts, notes, interview tapes and transcripts, recipes, and correspondence, including handwritten and typed letters, as well as email printouts. The collection also contains unique menus from several international restaurants and works by others, including books, published articles, and newspaper clippings that Fussell collected and arranged by subject.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy for materials in this collection were not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form: Identification of item, date (if known); Betty Fussell Papers; MSS 160; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Location of Materials

Some materials are stored offsite, and advance notice is required for use. Please contact fales.library@nyu.edu at least two business days prior to your research visit to coordinate access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Betty Fussell donated the materials from 2005 to 2015. Accession numbers associated with this collection are 2009.160, 2010.160, 2012.160, 2015.160.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Fales Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted.

Born-digital materials have not been transferred and may not be available to researchers. Researchers may request access copies. To request that material be transferred, or if you are unsure if material has been transferred, please contact The Fales Library & Special Collections (fales.library@nyu.edu) with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Related Materials

For more information about Betty Fussell, see her oral history interview in Fales collection MSS 309, Voices from the Food Revolution: People Who Changed The Way Americans Eat. An oral history project conducted by Judith Weinraub.

Collection processed by

Jacqueline Rider

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 17:05:49 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English.

Processing Information

Materials were rehoused in archival folders and boxes, maintaining original order and labels when possible. Audiovisual materials were rehoused in archival cases.

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections

Series I: Research and Subject Files

Scope and Contents

This series consists of files Fussell created and maintained for her work overall, organized into regional cultures and areas that she visited, foodstuffs, and general notes. It also contains materials from regional events, plus notes, interview transcripts, and drafts of articles about specific places, such as the Spanish olive oil region and California wineries.

Places

Spain, Cuba, Australia, Kuwait, England,Ireland, 1970-2006, inclusive

Box: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

France, 1962-2008, inclusive

Box: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Versailles, China, Bahia, Indonesia, Jordan, Ireland, 1959-2000, inclusive

Box: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Southwest United States, Mexico, South America, California, Kentucky, 1979-2003, inclusive

Box: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

SE Asia, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, 1998-2001, inclusive

Box: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Wisconsin, Peru, 1979-1990, inclusive

Box: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Foods

Foods, Alphabetized, Beans-Garlic, 1959-1997, inclusive

Box: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Foods, Alphabetized, Grains - Sea Vegetables, 1955-1995, inclusive

Box: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

General Notes and Background Materials

General Notes, part 1 of 2: food codes, quotations, nutrition, menus, NYU food seminar, 1969-1997, inclusive

Box: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

General Notes, part 2 of 2: recipes, restaurants, French food, food arts, 1970-2008, inclusive

Box: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

General Notes: Preserves - Wine, New Produce, Recipe Lists, Catalogs, Bibliographies, Food Facts, 1960-2000, inclusive

Box: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Food Issues, Sustainability, Genetically Modified Foods, 1992-2006, inclusive

Box: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Food Publications, 1985-2008, inclusive

Box: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Note Cards on Eating Habits, French Cuisine, Food History, 1965-1970, inclusive

Box: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Series II: Writings, Interviews, Lectures, Classes

Scope and Contents

This series consists of research, background, and production files, plus drafts Fussell created for books and articles she wrote. Much overlap exists, as articles were expanded into books, and books would lead to lectures and conference talks.

Betty Fussell Books and Related Materials

Corn Book Notes, 1974-1996, inclusive

Box: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Corn Book Permissions, 1985-1992, inclusive

Box: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Corn Book Research, 1978-1995, inclusive

Box: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Corn Seeds, Seed Types, 1932-1998, inclusive

Box: 20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

The Story of Corn and Crazy for Corn, 1990-2000, inclusive

Box: 21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Corn Book Lectures, Promotions, 1990-1998, inclusive

Box: 22, Folder: 12-16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

MFK Fisher Interviews, I Hear America Cooking Photos, Background on Regional U.S. cuisine, New England - Southwest, 1967-1989, inclusive

Box: 23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

America Entertains, Masters of American Cookery, Craig Claiborne, James Beard Julia Child, correspondence, 1965-1993, inclusive

Box: 24 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

James Beard, 1974-2003, inclusive

Box: 25 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

I Hear America Cooking: Masters, 1977-2004, inclusive

Box: 26 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

My Kitchen Wars, 1994-2005, inclusive

Box: 27 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Beef Book background research, 1986-2007, inclusive

Box: 22, Folder: 1-11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Animal Industry, 1976-2008, inclusive

Box: 28 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Rancher Interviews, Grassland, Land Use, Buffalo, California, Oregon, Quivira, 1992-2007, inclusive

Box: 29 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Rancher Interviews, Heritage Breeds, Steakhouses, Beef Industry, 1996-2010, inclusive

Box: 30 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Texas, Ranchers, Rendering, "Greenies and Myths", 1996-2008, inclusive

Box: 31 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Beef Notes, Talks, Statistics, Recipes, 2002-2012, inclusive

Box: 32, Folder: 10-23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Betty Fussell Articles, Interviews, Lectures and Classes; Contributions to Works by Others

Published Articles and Manuscripts, 1973-2008, inclusive

Box: 33 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Published articles arranged chronologically, journal articles, bibliographies, contracts, proposals, 1955-2012, inclusive

Box: 34 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Published Articles, 1955-2005, inclusive

Box: 35 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Story Ideas, Article Drafts, Background Materials, 1965-2006, inclusive

Box: 36 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Food Organization Conferences, Interviews, Book Reviews, 1978-2000, inclusive

Box: 37 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Research and Drafts for Novel, Foie Gras, Magazine Articles, 1976-2007, inclusive

Box: 38 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Joy of Cooking, revised edition, 1994-1997, inclusive

Box: 39 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Jean-Georges Vongerichten profile, Lears articles, 1986-2000, inclusive

Box: 40 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

My Kitchen Wars performance, televised appearances, food articles, NYU Food Colloquium, background materials, 1984-2006, inclusive

Box: 41 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Food History Classes, Bread Article, 1994-2003, inclusive

Box: 42 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Corn Lectures, Promos, Classes, 1990-2004, inclusive

Box: 43 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Betty H. Fussell Lectures, 1986-2007, inclusive

Box: 44 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Interviews and Notes on Beef and Related Topics, 2002-2007, inclusive

Box: 45 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Series III: Events and Correspondence

Scope and Contents

This series consists of materials related to workshops, conferences, classes, and other events Fussell attended, addressed, or led. It also contains some correspondence.

California: COPIA Symposium, Greystone Conference, Chalk Hill Winery book draft, 1996-2006, inclusive

Box: 46 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Food Conferences, 1991-2007, inclusive

Box: 47 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: 48 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Food Panels, Presentations, Conferences, Lectures, 1998-2008, inclusive

Box: 49, Folder: 1-10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence, 1982-1997, inclusive

Box: 49, Folder: 11-14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: 32, Folder: 1-8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Food Events, Interviews, Ephemera, 1966-2008, inclusive

Box: 50 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Series IV: Media, Graphics, Books

Scope and Contents

This series consists of photographs, negatives, and slides, plus audiovisual, digital, and graphic materials Fussell created and collected for her research, travel, and writings. It also includes books by others, which Fussell collected and consulted.

Menus, 1958-1997, inclusive

Box: 51 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)

Posters and Menus

Box: 52 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)

Slides, photographs, graphics of corn and other foods, regions cookbooks, kitchen history, 1970-2003, inclusive

Box: 53 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Slides, 1991-1999, inclusive

Box: 32, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Photographs: Western United States and Vermont; Slides, 1985-2006, inclusive

Box: 54 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Videos and Audiocassettes, 1981-2000, inclusive

Box: 55 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Interviews, minicassettes, 1980-2000, inclusive

Box: 56 (Material Type: Audio)

Compact disks, floppy disks, UBS flash drive, 1980-2006, inclusive

Box: 57 (Material Type: Computer Disks)

The Niman Ranch Cookbook, 2005

Box: 35 (Material Type: Books)

Becoming Native to this Place, 1994

Box: 54 (Material Type: Books)

Alimentum: The Literature of Food, Issue 13, 2012

Box: 14 (Material Type: Books)

Jean-George: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef, 1998

Box: 14 (Material Type: Books)

Simple Cuisine: the Easy, New Approach to Four-Star Cooking, 1990

Box: 14 (Material Type: Books)

The Four Seasons: A History of America's Premier Restaurant, 1999

Box: 14 (Material Type: Books)

Zapotec, 1954

Box: 28 (Material Type: Books)

Last Chance to Eat: the Fate of Taste in a Fast Food World, 2004

Box: 28 (Material Type: Books)

When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away. Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New Mexico, 1500-1846, 1991

Box: 28 (Material Type: Books)

Writing at the Kitchen Table: the authorized biography of Elizabeth David, 2000

Box: 28 (Material Type: Books)

Corn and Corn Growing, 1949

Box: 28 (Material Type: Books)

Corn Huskers' Battle of the Bangboards, 1975

Box: 28 (Material Type: Books)

Wild Wealth, 1971

Box: 39 (Material Type: Books)
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012