Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. and Gilbert Seldes correspondence, 1956-1970

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., (1917-2007) was an American historian as well known for his political activities as a liberal Democrat as for his critically acclaimed scholarly work. He won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award twice, while playing a significant role in shaping the intellectual basis of postwar Democratic liberalism. Gilbert Seldes (1893-1970) was an American cultural critic, editor, and writer who was the first director of television programs for the Columbia Broadcasting System, and the first dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. and Gilbert Seldes correspondence consists of nineteen letters (mostly typed) from Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. to his friend Gilbert Seldes; Seldes' typed copies, drafts and memoranda of responses to Schlesinger's letters; a letter dated 21 Dec. 1970 from Schlesinger to Gilbert Seldes' daughter Marian, and a typed draft (5 p.) of Seldes' introduction to a new edition of his 1928 work, The Stammering Century. The letters include discussion of their writings and careers, social activities and mutual acquaintances, books they have read, and contemporary topics such as the role of mass media, particularly television, in American culture. Notable content includes Schlesinger's brief and poignant note of 15 June 1968, written shortly after Robert F. Kennedy's death.