Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm87061978
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The records of Doubleday & Company were selected and donated to the Library of Congress by Ken McCormick in a series of gifts from 1986 to 1993.
The original register prepared in 1993 was revised and expanded in 1997, and revised again in 2018.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Ken McCormick in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
The Ken McCormick Collection of Doubleday and Company records is open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Ken McCormick Collection of Doubleday and Company, Inc., Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Ken McCormick Collection of the Records of Doubleday & Company
spans 1882-1992, with the bulk of the records dated from 1910-1992. Founded as
Among the many talented individuals who contributed to the growth and
success of
The collection is a mine of information on an intriguing aspect of
literature, that of the relationship between author and editor. Correspondence,
memoranda, notes, and other records documenting the design, production,
editing, and publicity functions of a major publisher have been culled largely
from Doubleday's
publishing
case files
and are divided into two subseries: an
author
file
and a
subject and
title file.
A small series consisting of administrative
office
files
and an
addition
appended in 1997 of research material relating to
Throughout its existence, Doubleday's publishing list has included
bestsellers by such popular authors as
The files of
The success of Doubleday was due in part to its skillful editorial
staff, which McCormick led for many years as editor in chief. A sympathetic
counselor and creative critic, McCormick possessed the characteristics required
of the successful editor, but he is not the only editor represented in the
collection. Other editors who appear prominently include such distinguished
figures as
Doubleday developed many of the sales strategies which became standard practice in publishing, pioneering concepts such as mass-marketing techniques, mail-order merchandising, subscription book clubs, and reprint publication. The effectiveness of its advertising, design, promotion, and publicity organization was well respected in the trade, and material throughout the collection concerns to the production and distribution operations essential to the successful publication of a book.
McCormick's contribution to the collection consists of cover sheets which he wrote as accompanying notes to many of the files he selected for preservation. As a keen observer of the personalities and publishing trends of his day, McCormick provides background information and insightful sketches that explain and expand the contents of the files. His notes also relate the personal foibles and professional idiosyncrasies of authors and editors alike and elucidate the peculiar publishing history of specific books and manuscripts. Written between 1985 and 1992 the notes function as McCormick's personal narrative, enriching the cultural documentation implicit in the files themselves.
The collection is arranged in three series:
Letters received and copies of letters sent, memoranda, notes, postcards, telegrams, manuscript drafts, editorial and publicity material, reports, financial and legal papers, contracts, proofs, printed matter, and miscellaneous items relating to authors whose books, plays, poems, or short stories were either developed or published by Doubleday & Co.
The files are maintained in their original order and are organized alphabetically by author's name. Material within each file is arranged in reverse chronological order with undated items located prior to the earliest date. Many of the files contain explanatory cover sheets written by McCormick.
Correspondence, memoranda, notes, editorial and publicity material, reports, financial and legal papers, printed matter, and miscellaneous items relating to specific book or series titles and subject categories which were either developed or published by Doubleday & Co.
The files are maintained in their original order and are organized alphabetically by title or subject. Material within each file is arranged in reverse chronological order with undated items located prior to the earliest date. Many of the files contain explanatory cover sheets written by McCormick.
Correspondence, memoranda, notes and notebooks, reports, project proposals, printed matter, and miscellaneous items oncerning the administrative and organizational functions of Doubleday & Co. Also includes research material gathered for an unpublished book commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of Doubleday.
The files are maintained in their original order and are organized alphabetically by subject or type of material. Material within each file is arranged in reverse chronological order with undated material located prior to the earliest date. Some files contain explanatory cover sheets written by McCormick.
Correspondence and memoranda, typescripts, notes, and printed matter relating to Christopher Morley, gathered as research material for an unpublished seventy-fifth anniversary book.