Lyle Stuart papers, 1926-2010, bulk 1949-2003
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1565
- Bib ID:
- 8623590 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Stuart, Lyle
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 36 linear feet (26 record cartons 2 halfwidth document case 4 small flat boxes 2 large flat boxes)
- Language(s):
- Chiefly in English, with some items in Danish, French, German, Norwegian, and Spanish.
- 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.
Material in boxes 28, 29, and 31 is extremely fragile and therefore access to this material will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Description
Scope and Content
The papers of Lyle Stuart cover his personal and professional life as a maverick publisher, writer, and vivid personality. Beyond his career as a publisher, the collection documents his many interests and passions, including alternative medicine, Cuba, erotology, gambling, gossip, juvenile delinquency, pornography, and songwriting. There is extensive documentation of his career, first as a journalist, lyricist, and scriptwriter, and later as a prolific publisher of controversial books, including Inside the FBI (1967), Naked Came the Stranger (1969), The Sensuous Woman (1969), The Anarchist Cookbook (1970), The Turner Diaries (1996), and Great Big Beautiful Doll (2007).
Stuart was a forceful personality, and his correspondence series is rich with major figures in celebrity and journalism, including Helen Gurley Brown, Morris Cargill, William Gaines, Al Goldstein, Paul Krassner, Ferdinand Lundberg, Roger Price, Liz Renay, Barney Rosset, and George Seldes. He was party to dozens of lawsuits, often stemming from what he perceived to be personal slights, breaches of contract, or occasions of libel and slander, and his legal records comprise several boxes. Most notably was an early libel suit against Walter Winchell and a series of suits in the 1990s and 2000s related to accusations of libel in a biography of Steven Wynn.
Collection materials include advertising, army records, art, book proposals and contracts, business and office records, clippings, collectibles, correspondence, creative writing, financial records, journalism, lawsuits, magazines, newspapers, photographs, poetry, production files, published volumes radio scripts, research files, and sheet music.
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Series I: Correspondence, 1940-2010
Stuart's correspondence is divided into three files. Correspondence that was not maintained in any order can be found, unarranged, in the first file. Stuart kept many of his letters in topical folders, and these items have been collected into the file of Alphabetical and Topical materials. Finally, some correspondence was removed in the mid 2000s (mostly by Lyle Stuart's son Rory, at Stuart's direction and with his occasional annotations) and filed in binders. There were three sets of alphabetical binders, one of letters from Stuart, and four binders that lacked specific order. While the binders have been discarded, the letters have been maintained in the order in which they were found.
The correspondence spans most of Stuart's life and covers personal, professional, and private activities. A single correspondent is occasionally represented in all three alphabetical binders as well as in a dedicated folder in the Alphabetical file and in the unarranged material. Major correspondents are listed in Subject Headings.
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Series II: Early Career and Writings, 1939-1976
This series includes Stuart's early career as a journalist for International News Service, Music Business, Ready to Wear Scout, and Variety. It also documents his time as a radio scriptwriter for the U.S. State Department, his work as a freelance songwriter, and his published and unpublished fiction and poetry. The series is divided into two subseries.
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Series III: Lawsuits, 1954-2003
Lyle Stuart was a frequent party to lawsuits throughout his career. An early notable case was a libel suit brought by Stuart against columnist Walter Winchell: after publishing a muckraking exposé of Winchell, the columnist alluded to Stuart's guilty plea for attempted blackmail in the early 1940s. Stuart, whose sentence was suspended, sued Winchell and won an $8000 settlement, which he and his wife used to found Lyle Stuart, Inc.
Many of the represented lawsuits relating to money and contract disputes (including a forgery charge against Salvador Dalí), but the largest file is Steve Wynn's libel suit against Lyle Stuart and Stuart's subsequent countersuit. A biography of Wynn published by Stuart, Running Scared (1995) implied Wynn's Mafia-connections. While the initial case led to a $3 million defamation judgement against Stuart and Barricade Books, the judgement was eventually reversed on appeal.
Materials in this series consist of complaints, deposition transcripts, and other pre-trial and trial records. Some lawsuits include significant pre-trial research, including private investigator reports, as well as publicity-related clippings. Files are arranged by case citation, with the Wynn v Stuart case being significantly larger than the other files.
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Series IV: Magazines, Newspapers, and Clippings, 1926-2006
Stuart was a prolific collector of clippings and news related to his career, friends, and hobbies. The series is divided into three files. Clippings include both unarranged articles collected by Stuart as well as articles he collated into topical files (including files on individuals). The Expose Clippings File dates from Stuart's earliest years at his tabloid. It was used as a revolving research source for articles, and emphasizes political and cultural celebreties. Folders in the Expose file are arranged alphabetically by name. Magazines and Newspapers are full issues collected by Stuart and, excepting the unarranged issues, are arranged by name and then by date. Of particular note: Brevities, often considered the first tabloid, is remembered for its elaborate and graphic headlines; In Fact was an influential newsletter produced by George Seldes; and Ready to Wear Scout was a trade publication that Stuart worked on in his early career.
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This series is divided into three subseries and collects the bulk of material unrelated to Stuart's writings and publishing career. Materials include art, collectibles, contracts, correspondence, education records, ephemera, financial records, loan statements and related legal records, medical records, military records, obituaries, party planning materials, photographs, and sheet music.
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Series VI: Publishing Ventures, 1951-2008
This series is divided into three subseries, each devoted to a different firm. The Independent (originally titled Exposé) was a monthly tabloid published by Lyle and Mary Louise Stuart, and included a small book publishing imprint. With $8000 awarded in a libel judgement against Walter Winchell, the Stuarts founded Lyle Stuart, Inc. in 1956. After selling Lyle Stuart, Inc. to Carol Publishing Group in 1989, Stuart and his second wife, Carole, founded Barricade Books, a more specialized firm committed to "strengthening and protecting the First Amendment". Lyle Stuart, Inc. materials also include some records from after the Carol Publishing acquisition, as Carole Stuart remained on staff at Carol Publishing (and Lyle Stuart remained a formal "advisor") before co-founding Barricade Books. Barricade Books is now run by Carole Stuart.
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Series VII: Published Volumes, 1959-2003
Published volumes include thirteen books published by Lyle Stuart through Lyle Stuart, Inc. (or its subsidiary Citadel Press) or Barricade Books. This series also includes three books written by Lyle Stuart: Mary Louise, a memorial of his first wife, Lyle Stuart on Baccarat and Casino Gambling for the Winner.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in eight series.
- Series I: Correspondence, 1940-2010
- Series II: Early Career and Writings, 1939-1976
- Series III: Lawsuits, 1954-2003
- Series IV: Magazines, Newspapers, and Clippings, 1926-2006
- Series V: Personal, 1935-2005
- Subseries V.1: Collected Art and Ephemera, 1935-2000
- Subseries V.2: Personal Records, 1944-2005
- Subseries V.3: Topical Files, 1948-1998
- Series VI: Publishing Ventures, 1951-2008
- Subseries VI.1:The Independent, 1951-1973
- Subseries VI.2: Lyle Stuart, Inc., 1956-2000
- Subseries VI.3: Barricade Books, 1989-2008
- Series VII: Published Volumes, 1959-2003
- Series VIII: Additions to the Papers
Using the Collection
Restrictions on 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.
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.
Material in boxes 28, 29, and 31 is extremely fragile and therefore access to this material will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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 heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Lyle Stuart Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Selected Related Material
Albert Ellis Papers, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
Barney Rosset Papers, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
Mike McGrady Papers, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2010-2011-M149: Source of acquisition--Rory Stuart. Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--4/4/2011.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Papers processed by Caitlin Goodman, 2013.
Finding aid written by Caitlin Goodman in April 2013.
Collection is processed to folder level
Revision Description
2013-04-23 xml document instance created by Caitlin Goodman
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Biographical Note
Lyle Stuart was born Lionel Simon in New York City on August 11, 1922. After dropping out of high school he joined the Merchant Marine, later serving with the Air Transport Command of the Air Force during World War II. During the war he officially changed his name to Lyle Stuart, partially due to antisemitism he encountered in the service. After the war, he began working as a journalist, first for the International News Service in Columbus, Ohio (where he met and married Mary Louise Strawn), and later for assorted trade publications in New York City, including Ready to Wear Scout, Music Business, and Variety. He also wrote radio scripts for the State Department and published short stories and a novel.
In 1951, Stuart and his wife founded Exposé, a monthly tabloid. In its early years, Exposé published investigative articles about Franco's Spain and Jim Crow Laws, as well as fiction and essays by Norman Mailer, Ferdinand Lundberg, George Seldes, and others. In later years, Exposé (now retitled The Independent) became more of a personal newsletter by and about Lyle Stuart. After Mary Louise's death from cancer in 1969, Stuart temporarily ceased publication, resuming on a bimonthly schedule in 1971 before finally shuttering The Independent in 1973. One of Exposé's early articles, a 1951 takedown of columnist Walter Winchell, led to a libel suit and a $8000 award for the Stuarts. The award allowed Stuart and Mary Louise to found their first publishing company, Lyle Stuart, Incorporated.
The first book published by Lyle Stuart, Inc., was The Pulse Test (1956), a book on experimental medicine. Stuart focused on controversial and scandalous nonfiction, publishing Fidel Castro, sex manuals, conspiracy manifestos and exposés, sensationalist unauthorized biographies (including Kitty Kelley's first book), and (perhaps most famously)The Anarchist Cookbook (1971). While Stuart sold his company to the now-defunct Carol Publishing Group in 1989, he quickly resumed his career as publisher, founding Barricade Books with his second wife Carole. Barricade features similar titles, including reprinting The Anarchist Cookbook and the equally controversial The Turner Diaries (1996).
Stuart was an expansive personality, and a fierce friend and fiercer enemy - often to the same individual. He was a passionate gambler, writing two books on the subject and publishing many more, and was generous with both loans and lawsuits. He died in his home in Fort Lee, New Jersey, on June 24, 2006.
Sources:
Schudel, Matt. "Controversial Publisher Lyle Stuart."Washington Post, June 26, 2006.
Stuart, Lyle. "The Outrageous Lyle."The Independent, December 1971.
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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