The Nation Records
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Dates
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Nation magazine, founded in 1865, is the oldest continuously circulating weekly in the United States. Featuring left-leaning articles on topics ranging from arts and culture to politics and world events, The Nation seeks to foster public discourse, instigate direct action, and incite debate, having published articles from prominent thought leaders. This collection consists of materials created and collected by the editorial and administrative staff of The Nation during the mid- and late-20th century documenting their daily activities, their editorial processes, and their administrative functions. Materials include books, pamphlets, correspondence, memoranda, financial records, article drafts, research notes for articles, newspaper clippings (both from The Nation and other publications), letters to the editor (both published and unpublished), and audio and video recordings in various formats (often of conferences or interviews). Prominent themes and historical events documented in the materials include Cold War foreign policy, the United Nations, and military spending operations, as well as arts and culture.
Historical/Biographical Note
The Nation magazine, founded in 1865, is the oldest continuously circulating weekly in the United States. Featuring left-leaning articles on topics ranging from arts and culture to politics and world events, The Nation seeks to foster public discourse, instigate direct action, and incite debate, having published articles from prominent thought leaders including Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Gore Vidal, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Christopher Hitchens. The magazine has also published investigative pieces about government spending and military activity. It was banned in several educational institutions during the Second Red Scare in the 1940s-50s, and has been involved in several high-profile lawsuits including a suit it brought against the United States Department of Defense in 1991 during the First Gulf War. As of 2016, its current editor and publisher is Katrina Vanden Heuvel.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received by the donor.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of materials created and collected by the editorial and administrative staff of The Nation during the mid- and late-20th century documenting their daily activities, their editorial processes, and their administrative functions. Materials include books, pamphlets, correspondence, memoranda, financial records, article drafts, research notes for articles, newspaper clippings (both from The Nation and other publications), letters to the editor (both published and unpublished), and audio and video recordings in various formats (often of conferences or interviews). Prominent themes and historical events documented in the materials include Cold War foreign policy, the United Nations, and military spending operations, as well as arts and culture. Editorial, correspondence, and subject files held by the magazine's editors, including Carey McWilliams, Hamilton Fish, Victor Navasky, and Katrina Vanden Heuevel are particularly well-represented.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by The Nation, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; The Nation Records; TAM 682; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Teresa Stack on behalf of the Nation Company, LLC in 2015. The accession number associated with this gift is 2015.072.
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 tamiment.wagner@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.
Appraisal
In January 2020, 3 record cartons of research files and rejection letters were appraised by a curator and deaccessioned due to lack of research value and preservation concerns.
Separated Materials
Approximately 55 linear feet of material were appraised, deaccessioned, and destroyed following accessioning, including books, back issues, newspaper clippings, and financial records. These materials were identified as being either duplicative, not archival in nature, damaged by mold, or beyond the scope of the research strength of the collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
At the time of accessioning, materials were rehoused in new acid-free record cartons, maintaining the original order that was present. Descriptive information on the boxes was retained and transcribed when present; in the absence of such information, descriptive information about a box's contents were supplied by an archivist if it was easily ascertained. 10 record cartons were moved into a quarantined area after rehousing due to confirmed or possible mold. Approximately 10 linear feet of unannotated published materials (mostly back issues of The Nation) were discarded as recycled. A collection-level finding aid was created based on the information gathered in the accessioning process, but no arrangement was performed at this point. In January 2020, 3 record cartons of research files and rejection letters (Boxes 406, 410, and 411) were appraised by a curator and deaccessioned due to limited research value and preservation concerns. In the spring of 2020, materials with evidence of mold in Boxes 404, 405, and 408 were sent to Polygon for cleaning; these materials were returned in September 2020.
