Gans wrote nine books:The Urban Villagers: Group and Class in the Life of Italian-Americans(1962),The Levittowners: Ways of Life and Politics in a New Suburban Community(1967),People and Plans: Essays on Urban Problems and Solutions(1968),More Equality(1973),Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation of Taste(1974),Deciding What's News: A Study of CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, Newsweek, and Time(1979),Middle American Individualism: The Future of Liberal Democracy(1988),The War Against the Poor: The Underclass and Antipoverty Policy(1995), andDemocracy and the News(2003). Correspondence, research notes, grant applications, drafts, manuscripts, and book reviews related to each book are contained within this subseries.
The files relating toThe Urban Villagers, The Levittowners,andDeciding What's Newsprovide a vivid portrait of how Gans planned and carried out his sociological fieldwork. The files also offer considerable insight into his writing process and efforts to gain funding and support for his research. Five boxes of materials related to his research in Boston forThe Urban Villagersinclude heavily annotated drafts and a diary he kept while living as a participant-observer in the West End neighborhood. Of particular note among the correspondence files are letters written to Gans by a West End family immediately before and after being forced from their home, as well as two letters from Jane Jacobs, dated 1959, on the subject of urban renewal. Files pertaining toThe Levittownersinclude two-dozen folders of questionnaires filled out by Levittown residents at Gans's request; a daily diary detailing Gans's observations and musings on Levittown life; three folders of grant applications; and an annotated version of the 1300-page manuscript that eventually led to the much shorter book. Files related toDeciding What's Newsinclude a series of 1963 interviews carried out in the wake of the JFK assassination with notable journalists and media executives including David Brinkley, Chet Huntley, and the president of NBC, Robert Kintner; field notes from time spent in the CBS, NBC,NewsweekandTimenewsrooms in the late 1960s and early 1970s; correspondence soliciting funds and support; and opinion pieces and editorials flowing from the project.
In addition, Gans preserved hundreds of reviews about his books, as well as letters he exchanged with particularly critical or laudatory reviewers. Drafts or typescripts of most of his books up toDemocracy and the Newsare also contained here.
The Urban Villagers: Group and Class in the Life of Italian-Americans, 1962
Correspondence
Box 1 Folder 1
Caruso, Joseph, 1958-1987
Box 1 Folder 2
General, with Clippings, 1955-1961
Box 1 Folder 3
Granovetter, Mark, 1974
Box 1 Folder 4
Jacobs, Jane, 1958
Box 1 Folder 5
Lopreato, Joseph, 1970-1971
Box 1 Folder 6
Post-Publication, 1962-1967
Box 1 Folder 7
Regarding Publication, 1960-1962
Box 1 Folder 8
Regarding West End, 1958-1959
Box 1 Folder 9
Research, 1958-1959
Box 1 Folder 10
Steiner, Richard, 1958
Box 1 Folder 11
Topalov, Christian, 1999-2003
Box 1 Folder 12
West Enders, 1958-1963
Box 1 Folder 13
Drafts, late, 1950s
Box 1 Folder 14
Draft Manuscript, 1959 (1 of 2 Folders), 1959
Box 2 Folder 1
Draft Manuscript, 1959 (2 of 2 Folders), 1959
Box 2 Folder 2
Outlines and Notes, 1958-1962
Box 2 Folder 3 to 4
Photographs of the West End--Taken by Gans, 1958-1962, (2 Folders)
Research Materials
Box 2 Folder 5
General, Undated
Box 2 Folder 6
Government Planning Documents, 1953-1955
Box 2 Folder 7
Interview Study, 1957
Box 2 Folder 8
Mental Health, 1950s
Box 3 Folder 1
Notes and Outlines, circa, 1958-1960
Box 3 Folder 2
Reviews, 1962-1964
Second Edition
Box 3 Folder 3
Correspondence, Notes, and Publicity Materials, circa, 1980-1986
Box 3 Folder 4 to 5
Galleys and Pageproofs, 1982, (2 Folders)
Box 3 Folder 6
Typescript with Notes, 1982
Box 3 Folder 7 to 8
Typescript with Edits, 1982, (2 Folders)
Box 4 Folder 1
"The Taking," by Marc Lipsitz--Play About Gans and West End, With Notes,, undated
Box 4 Folder 2
Thirtieth Anniversary, 1992-1993
Box 4 Folder 3 to 4
Typescript with Notes, 1962, (2 Folders)
Box 5 Folder 1
West End Participation-Observation Study--Diary, 1957-1958 (1 bound volume), 1957-1958
The Levittowners: Ways of Life and Politics in a New Suburban Community, 1967
Box 5 Folder 2 to 4
Applying for Grants, 1950-1962, (3 Folders)
Correspondence
Box 6 Folder 1
General, 1956-1969
Box 6 Folder 2
Reactions, 1967
Box 6 Folder 3
Riesman, David, 1959
Box 6 Folder 4
Diary--Handwritten, 1958-1959
Drafts
Box 6 Folder 5 to 9
Manuscript, 1965 (5 of 7 Folders), 1965
Box 7 Folder 1 to 2
Manuscript, 1965 (2 of 7 Folders), 1965
Box 7 Folder 3 to 5
Partial Typescript, undated, (3 Folders)
Box 7 Folder 6 to 7
Typescript, undated (2 of 7 Folders), undated
Box 8 Folder 1 to 5
Typescript, undated (5 of 7 Folders), undated
Box 8 Folder 6
Getting Published, 1962-1967
Box 64 Folder 1 to 2
Lawsuit, 1966-1970, (2 Folders)
Box 8 Folder 7
Photographs of Levittown, circa, 1958
Research
Box 9 Folder 1 to 7
City Interviews, 1958-1962 (7 of 13 Folders), 1958-1962
Box 10 Folder 1 to 6
City Interviews, 1958-1962 (6 of 13 Folders), 1958-1962
Box 10 Folder 7
Diary, 1958-1959--Table of Contents
Box 11 Folder 1 to 2
Diary, 1958-1959 ( 2 bound volumes), 1958-1959
Box 12 Folder 1
Interview Drafts 1-5, 1958
Box 12 Folder 2 to 4
Panel I Interviews, 1959, (3 Folders)
Box 12 Folder 5 to 6
Panel Interviews and Re-Interviews, 1959-1961 (2 of 8 Folders), 1959-1961
Box 13 Folder 1 to 5
Panel Interviews and Re-Interviews, 1959-1961 (5 of 8 Folders), 1959-1961
Box 14 Folder 1
Panel Interviews and Re-Interviews, 1959-1961 (1 of 8 Folders), 1959-1961
Box 14 Folder 2
Questionnaire Drafts, 1957-1958
Box 14 Folder 3
Questionnaires Sent to Levittown Residents, undated
Box 14 Folder 4
Reviews, 1967
Box 64 Folder 3
Reviews--British, 1967-1969
Box 14 Folder 5
Revised Edition, 1982
Box 14 Folder 6
Revised Edition--Photographs, 1982
Box 14 Folder 7
Start of Levittown study, 1950-1960
Box 14 Folder 8
Aborted Plans for New Edition, 1982
Box 14 Folder 9 to 10
Correspondence, 1966-1970, (2 Folders)
Box 14 Folder 11
Outlines and Drafts, circa, 1966-1967
Box 14 Folder 12
People, Plans, and Policies--Correspondence and reviews, 1974-1995
Box 64 Folder 4
Reviews, 1968-1970
More Equality, 1973
Box 15 Folder 1
Correspondence, 1972-1974, 1985, 1972-1974, 1985
Box 15 Folder 2
Reviews, 1973-1974
Box 15 Folder 3 to 5
Typescript, 1973, (3 Folders)
Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation of Taste, 1974
Box 64 Folder 5
Book Contract, 1970
Box 15 Folder 6
Correspondence, 1970-1976
Box 15 Folder 7 to 8
"Mass Culture as a Social Problem,", 1970, (2 Folders)
Box 15 Folder 9
Proposal for Second Edition, undated
Box 16 Folder 1
Reviews, 1975-1976
Box 16 Folder 2 to 3
Typescript, circa, 1974, (2 Folders)
Deciding What's News: A Study of CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, Newsweek, and Time, 1979
Box 16 Folder 4
Assassination of John Kennedy--Interviews, 1963
Box 16 Folder 5
Content Analysis, 1967
Box 16 Folder 6
Content Analysis, 1971
Box 16 Folder 7
Content Analysis, 1975
Box 16 Folder 8
Content Analysis, undated
Correspondence
Drafts
Box 17 Folder 2 to 4
Manuscript--Early Version, 1971, (3 Folders)
Box 17 Folder 5 to 6
Typescript--Before Copy Editing, 1979 (2 of 5 Folders), 1979
Box 18 Folder 1 to 3
Typescript--Before Copy Editing, 1979 (3 of 5 Folders), 1979
Box 18 Folder 4 to 6
Typescript--With Copy Editing, 1979 (3 of 5 Folders), 1979
Box 19 Folder 1 to 2
Typescript--With Copy Editing, 1979 (2 of 5 Folders), 1979
Box 19 Folder 3
Early Notes and Outlines, 1960s
Box 19 Folder 4
Grant Application, 1974-1975
Box 19 Folder 5
NBC Letters, 1975-1976
Box 19 Folder 6
Opinion Pieces, 1979-1980
Box 19 Folder 7
Outline of Study, undated
Box 19 Folder 8
Project Descriptions, circa, 1964-1965
Box 19 Folder 9
Progress Reports, 1964-1968
Box 19 Folder 10
Research Proposals, 1964-1971 and undated, 1964-1971, undated
Box 20 Folder 1
Reviews, 1979-1980
Box 64 Folder 7
Reviews, 1979-1980
Box 20 Folder 2
Talks and Speeches, circa, 1979-1996
Box 20 Folder 3
Textbook Study, circa mid-1960s
Middle American Individualism: The Future of Liberal Democracy, 1988
Box 20 Folder 4
Correspondence, 1976-1988
Box 20 Folder 5 to 7
Notes and Memos, circa, 1980s, (3 Folders)
Box 20 Folder 8
Paperback Edition, 1988-1991
Box 20 Folder 9
"Popular Individualism: An Essay on American Values and Politics," 1986 (1 bound volume), 1986
Box 21 Folder 1
Reviews, 1988-1989
Box 21 Folder 2 to 4
Typescript, 1988, (3 Folders)
The War Against the Poor: The Underclass and Antipoverty Policy, 1995
Box 21 Folder 5
Correspondence with Foundations, 1989-1991
Box 21 Folder 6
Op-eds, Unpublished, circa, 1990s
Box 21 Folder 7
Outlines and Study Proposals, circa, 1988-1994
Box 21 Folder 8
Reviews, 1995-1996
Box 21 Folder 9
Tables, circa, 1990s
Box 22 Folder 1
Talks, circa 1980s, 1990s, 1980s, 1990s
Box 22 Folder 2 to 4
Typescript, 1994, (3 Folders)
Making Sense of America, 1999
Box 22 Folder 5 to 7
Typescript, 1999, (3 Folders)
Democracy and the News, 2003
Box 22 Folder 8
Correspondence, 2001
Box 22 Folder 9
Outlines, 1996
Box 23 Folder 1
Outlines, 1997
Box 23 Folder 2 to 3
Typescript--with Edits, 2001, (2 Folders)
Box 23 Folder 4
Typescript--Index of Names, circa, 2002
Box 23 Folder 5
Typescript--Final Version, 2002 (1 bound volume), 2002
M.A. Thesis [Many materials in this category are acidic and/or disintegrating.]
Box 23 Folder 6
Correspondence, 1949-1951
Box 23 Folder 7
Drafts and Preliminary Studies, circa, 1949-1950
Box 23 Folder 8
Park Forest Interviews, late 1940s (1 of 8 Folders), 1940s
Box 24 Folder 1 to 7
Park Forest Interviews, late 1940s (7 of 8 Folders), 1940s
Box 25 Folder 1
"The Child-Oriented Jewish Community: A Study of a Suburban Jewish Sub-Community in Park Forest, Illinois,", 1955
Box 25 Folder 2
"The Jewish Community in Park Forest, Illinois: A Study in Jewish Community Formation,", 1950
Box 25 Folder 3
Thesis: "Political Participation and Apathy: A Study of Political Participation in Local Government and Some Recommendations to Increase Participation in the Government of Park Forest, Illinois", 1950
Doctoral Thesis
Box 25 Folder 4
Abstracts, 1956
Box 25 Folder 5
Correspondence, 1964
Box 25 Folder 6
Dissertation: "Recreation Planning for Leisure Behavior: A Goal-Oriented Approach," 1957 (1 of 2 bound volumes), 1957
Box 26 Folder 1
Dissertation: "Recreation Planning for Leisure Behavior: A Goal-Oriented Approach," 1957 (1 of 2 bound volumes), 1957
Box 26 Folder 2 to 4
"Recreation Planning for Leisure Behavior"--Unpublished Book Manuscript,, 1960, (3 Folders)
"American Films and Television Programs on British Screens: A Study of the Functions of American Popular Culture Abroad,", 1959
Box 26 Folder 5
Completed Study, 1959
Box 27 Folder 1
Correspondence, 1957-1962
Box 27 Folder 2
Research Materials, late, 1950s
Box 27 Folder 3
Research Proposals, 1956-1957
Box 27 Folder 4 to 5
"The Uses of Television and Their Educational Implications: Preliminary Findings From a Survey of Adult and Adolescent New York Television Viewers,", 1969, (2 Folders)
Box 27 Folder 6
Article list--Compiled and Numbered by Gans
Box 27 Folder 7 to 10
Articles 1-40, 1951-1964, (4 Folders)
Box 28 Folder 1 to 8
Articles 41-120, 1964-1981, (8 Folders)
Box 29 Folder 1 to 6
Articles 121-177, 1981-2004, (6 Folders)
Related Materials
Box 29 Folder 7
Article 4, 1951-1952
Box 29 Folder 8 to 10
Article 8, , 1949-1955, (3 Folders)
Box 30 Folder 1
Article 12, 1958
Box 30 Folder 2
Article 16, 1958-1959
Box 30 Folder 3
Articles 18, 21, 22, 1955-1961
Box 30 Folder 4
Articles 43-46, 1964-1965
Box 30 Folder 5
Article 66, 1968
Box 30 Folder 6
Article 67, 1965-1968
Box 30 Folder 7
Article 70, 1968
Box 30 Folder 8
Article 73, 1965-1968
Box 30 Folder 9
Article 75, 1969
Box 30 Folder 10
Article 81, 1969-1970
Box 30 Folder 11
Article 91, 1972
Box 30 Folder 12
Article 93, circa 1972-73
Box 30 Folder 13
Article 99, 1973
Box 30 Folder 14
Article 99, 1972-1974
Box 30 Folder 15
Article 102, 1973-1974
Box 30 Folder 16
Article 104, 1975
Box 30 Folder 17
Article 112, 1976
Box 30 Folder 18
Article 123, 1981
Box 30 Folder 19
Article 137, 1983-1989
Box 30 Folder 20
Article 141, 1989-1990
Box 30 Folder 21
Article 144, 1986-1992
Box 31 Folder 1
Article 145, 1990-1993
Box 31 Folder 2
Article 149, 1990-1992
Box 31 Folder 3
Article 155, 1993-1994
Box 31 Folder 4
Article 160, 1995
Box 31 Folder 5
Article 163, 1995-1996
Box 31 Folder 6
Article 15, 1997-1999
Box 31 Folder 7
Article 169, 1999
Box 31 Folder 8
"Preserving Everyone's Noo Yawk", 1975
Box 31 Folder 9
"Should We Subsidize Popular Art?", 1974-1975
Box 31 Folder 10
Various articles, 1974-1999
Box 31 Folder 11 to 13
Book Reviews, 1950s-1990s, (3 Folders)
Box 31 Folder 14
Film Reviews, 1971-1978
Box 31 Folder 15 to 16
Unlisted Short Articles, 1960s-1990s (2 of 4 Folders), 1960s-1990s
Box 32 Folder 1 to 2
Unlisted Short Articles, 1960s-1990s (2 of 4 Folders), 1960s-1990s
Box 32 Folder 3 to 8
Unpublished Talks and Articles, 1950s-1990s, Undated (6 of 17 Folders), 1950s-1990s, Undated
Box 33 Folder 1 to 7
Unpublished Talks and Articles, 1950s-1990s, Undated (7 of 17 Folders), 1950s-1990s, Undated
Box 34 Folder 1 to 4
Unpublished Talks and Articles, 1950s-1990s, Undated (4 of 17 Folders), 1950s-1990s, Undated
Box 34 Folder 5
"A Comprehensive Planning Study of the Public Library,", 1955
Box 34 Folder 6
Anacostia-Bolling Urban Renewal Project, 1967
Box 34 Folder 7 to 8
Babbit, Minnesota, 1951, (2 Folders)
Box 35 Folder 1
Babbit and Beaver Bay, Minnesota, 1951
Box 35 Folder 2
Cleveland, 1970s
Box 64 Folder 8
Columbia, Maryland, 1964-1973
Box 35 Folder 3
Forty-Second Street Development Project, 1984-1988
Box 35 Folder 4
White Pine, Michigan, 1952
Box 35 Folder 5
Center for Urban Education--Memoranda and Studies, 1960s
Box 35 Folder 6
Children's Stories--Unpublished, 1970s
Box 35 Folder 7 to 8
"Entertainment and News"--Unpublished Gans Anthology, undated, (2 Folders)
Box 35 Folder 9
Foreword to Easter Hill Village, 1969-1974
Box 35 Folder 10 to 11
Letters to the Editor, 1960-2003, (2 Folders)
Box 36 Folder 1
Satires, 1947-1971
Speaking Notes
Box 36 Folder 2 to 8
General, 1960-1999, Undated, 1960-1999, Undated, (7 Folders)
Box 36 Folder 9
News and Media, early, 1970s
Box 37 Folder 1
"The Future of the American City", 1970s-1980s
Box 37 Folder 2
"The Role of Housing in the War on Poverty, 1965
Box 37 Folder 3
Untitled Essay Collection, 1960s