Scope and Content Note
The Look Magazine records span the years 1934-1970, with the bulk of the material dating from 1948 to 1970. The collection documents Look’s writing, editorial, and research processes in this time period. The collection is organized into four series: Writer Files, Subject Files, Chronological Files, and Roland H. Berg Files.
This collection does not represent a comprehensive accounting of Look’s editorial practices. Each series only covers a portion of the magazine’s thirty-four year history with certain writers or editors more prominently featured in the materials, including William Attwood, Roland H. Berg, Bill Davidson, Peter Maas, and Hartzell Spence.
The Writer Files are primarily drafts of articles under consideration for publication in Look organized by the name of the writer. Published and unpublished articles by both staff and freelance writers, often with editorial notes, are included in the series. Some of the files also include correspondence and research documentation. Writers represented in this series include Catherine Drinker Bowen, Louise Katherine Bruner, Raymond A. Bruner, Charles Franklin Kettering, Margaret Long (Leonard), and Dorothy Thompson.
The Subject Files consist of research and editorial files related to a specific topic or article. This includes general topical research, research about individuals, letters to the editor, and field notes. Materials about the American zeitgeist feature prominently, as well as research about rocket technology in the post-World War II era.
The Chronological Files primarily consist of interoffice memos related to research, current events, and ideas for articles that are filed by month and year. They are to and from a variety of people at the magazine and cover a wide variety of topics including, but not limited to, cosmetics, crime, history, international affairs, politics, popular culture, and sports.
The Roland H. Berg Files document his role as the medical editor of Look and portions of his career as a medical writer and journalist. The writings section consists of materials written by Berg including articles for Look and other publications and correspondence and press regarding the books he wrote about the polio epidemic. The charity racket story material includes a typescript of the article by Peter Maas (“The Battle for Your Charity Dollar”), letters to the editor in criticism of the published article, and research materials, including Maas’ original notebooks. Berg was the editor assigned to the piece and was responsible for responding to the critical response it received. The general and topical files in the series include research files about the drug industry, health insurance and birth control, miscellaneous correspondence, and Berg’s membership certificates for The New York Academy of Sciences and The National Association of Science Writers.