Thomas Whiteside papers, 1839-1995, bulk 1952-1992
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1545
- Bib ID:
- 7971726 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Whiteside, Thomas, 1918-1997
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 29 linear feet (23 record containers 1 document box 4 flat boxes)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
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This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Summary
The collection contains the papers of Thomas Whiteside and in the main, relates to Whiteside's professional career as a journalist, as represented in Series I: Writings. There is a small second series of personal correspondence. The collection primarily pertains to the articles Whiteside wrote for The New Yorker. These files range in date from 1952-1992, covering the time Whiteside wrote for the magazine. The files include research articles and clippings, audiocassettes, correspondence, drafts, galleys and proofs, notebooks, both handwritten and typed notes, and typescripts.
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Series I: Writings consists of the material related to articles and books published by Thomas Whiteside as well as research files for unpublished works and general research files, or those untied to a specific book or article. A majority of the material pertains to articles Whiteside wrote for The New Yorker. Themes get repeated over the course of this series. For instance, writing on dioxins are represented in article and book form. This is the case with the article, "The Pendulum and the Toxic Cloud" that was later published as a book under the same name. In other cases, books about certain topics later show up in the magazine. For instance, his series on Ralph Nader, "Countervailing Force" was first published in book form as The Investigation of Ralph Nader: General Motors vs. One Determined Man.
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Series II: Personal Papers, 1940-1995
Series II: Personal Papers is a small series consisting in the main of correspondence from Whiteside's children. Represented here as well are letters to Whiteside over the course of his career which are unrelated to a specific article or book. This series also contains material related to the MacArthur Fellowship that Whiteside won in 1986. There is an undated school notebook containing notes and a Toronto Public Library card from 1940.
Arrangement
Material is arranged into two series.
- Series I: Writings, 1839-1991
- Subseries I.1: Published Articles and Books, 1839-1995
- Subseries I.2: Unpublished Articles, 1962-1995
- Subseries I.3: General Reference Files, 1961-1987
- Series II: Personal Papers, 1940-1995
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
Rbml Advance Appointment
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Thomas Whiteside Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Accrual
No additions are expected
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Ownership and Custodial History
The Thomas Whiteside Papers were the gift of Karen Falcon, Anne Whiteside, and James Huddleston Whiteside to the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Columbia University in 2010.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2010.2011.M020: Source of acquisition--Karen Falcon, Anne Whiteside, and James Huddleston Whiteside. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--2010-2011.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Papers processed Adrien Hilton September 2012.
Papers processed Adrien Hilton September 2012.
Finding Aid written Adrien Hilton 10/01/2012.
Revision Description
2012-10-06 xml document instance created by Adrien Hilton
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Biographical Note
Thomas Whiteside was born in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, England in 1918. He moved to the US by way of Canada in 1940 to study at the University of Chicago. During WWII, Whiteside worked for the Office of War Propaganda, compiling reports on Axis propaganda. In 1945, he became a US citizen and joined the staff of Newsweek as a foreign affairs writer. Whiteside later went on to write for The New Republic and joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1950.
As a journalist, Whiteside wrote for The New Yorker for over 45 years. He covered a range of topics for the magazine's various series - Annals of Advertising, Annals of Business, Annals of Crime, Annals of the Cold War, Annals of Espionage, Annals of Migration, Annals of Television, Onward and Upward with the Arts, Reporter at Large, and Talk of the Town. The topics Whiteside wrote on were broad and complex, including pieces on cable television, the Channel Tunnel, cigarettes and the cigarette industry, computer crime, dioxins (most notably 2, 4, 5-T, a component in Agent Orange), the publishing industry, Stig Wennerstrom, and yellow rain. Whiteside also wrote several biographical articles for the magazine's "Profiles" section. This included pieces on Teddy Adams, Captain Kurt Carlsen, Daniel Fraad Jr., Ralph Nader, Rosser Reeves, David Susskind, and Sylvester "Pat" Weaver. Several of Whiteside's articles, most of which were published in serial form formed the basis for longer book length works. He published 11 books, working with a number of different publishing houses and literary agencies.
Whiteside was married to Marie Whiteside and had three children. He lived his later years in West Cornwall, Connecticut.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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