University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Donald E. Stewart Papers 1923-2001

Descriptive Summary

Title:	Stewart, Donald E. Papers
Dates:	1923-2001
Size:	2 linear feet (4 boxes)
Repository:	Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.
Abstract:	Donald Edwin Stewart (1927-2005) managing editor at Encyclopædia Britannica. The collection contains letters, memos, photographs, publications, and news clippings pertaining to Encyclopædia Britannica and its staff, from 1923 to 2001

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Stewart, Donald E. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Biographical Note

Donald Edwin Stewart was born on August 26, 1927, in Chicago, Illinois, to Charles and Lillian Stewart. He had two siblings, Lillian and James. As a young boy, Stewart grew up listening to the University of Chicago’s radio-broadcast roundtable discussions on the Great Books. With a well-developed interest in literature, he enrolled at the University in 1947. Prior to his entry into UC, Stewart had spent one year at Wright Junior College and one year in the Army as a teenager. While at the University, Stewart was a student of the Great Books program, officially created only a year prior in part by university president Robert Hutchins and Mortimer J. Adler.

Stewart graduated from UC in 1950. With his sights set on the editor-in-chief position of the Encyclopædia Britannica, Stewart applied for and was granted a position as an editorial assistant. Within a few years, he was promoted to assistant to the managing editor. While at Britannica, Stewart met Barbara Fletcher. The two married in 1955, and had two children, Judith and Jeanne. After moving to Evanston, Illinois, both Stewart and his wife became involved in the nuclear disarmament movement and protests against the Vietnam War.

By 1951, Stewart had been promoted to the editorial staff of the Britannica. In 1965, he became managing editor. One of Stewart’s lasting contributions to the Encyclopædia was the reorganization from the traditional A-Z format to the current Micropedia and Macropedia. Following the philosophy of Britannica chairman, Mortimer Adler, Stewart and the rest of the editorial staff at Britannica sought to expand the reach of the work beyond a mere reference book to a systematic categorization of omne scibile (everything knowable). The effort received mixed reviews, but the overhaul to the Micro- and Macropedia format has endured. Stewart later left Britannica in 1973.

In 1974, Stewart became the associate executive direction for publishing at the American Library Association. He retired in 1981, but continued to perform freelance work and consulting for various publishing companies. He died in his home in Evanston on June 8, 2005.

Scope Note

The Donald E. Stewart papers contain a wide range of material including internal memos, various correspondence, reports, articles, books, manuscripts, catalogues, oral history transcripts, magazine and newspaper clippings, and physical artifacts (such as a section of brick from the Mandel Building, the Britannica’s head offices).

The collection follows the alphabetical subject and name organization established by Stewart, who grouped together original and copied materials documenting the work of individual Britannica editors, contributors, and staff. Documents in the collection date from 1923 to 2001, but the bulk are from Stewart’s years at the Encyclopædia, from the 1950s into the 1970s. The final box in the collection contains the two artifacts, a medal which was crafted to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the company and a sample of brick from the building which housed the original offices of EB.

Related Resources

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Subject Headings

Stewart, Don
Hutchins, Robert Maynard, 1899-1977
Adler, Mortimer Jerome, 1902-2001
Encyclopaedia Britannica

INVENTORY

Box 1 Folder 1

Adler, Mortimer, 1961- 2001

Clipping: “Name Mitchell and Adler to Board of Editors”, EB News, November 1961
Report: Mortimer Adler to Board of Editors, Operation Table of Contents, October 1966
Summary: “Plan B and Its Alternatives,” outline for 15th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, December 1967
Manuscript: “Editorial policy Encyclopædia Britannica: Plan B,” c. 1969
Memo: Mortimer Adler to Institute for Philosophical Research, September 14, 1972
Memo: Mortimer Adler, Don Stewart to Tom Goetz,” February 28, 1973
Letter: Unpublished letter to UC magazine, Donald E. Stewart re: Mortimer Adler’s death, undated.

Box 1 Folder 2

Benton, William, 1900-1973

Memo: William Benton to Mr. Morgenstern, January 9, 1953
Clipping: “The Failure of the Business Schools,” Saturday Evening Post, by William Benton, undated reprint, 1961
Clipping: “Education in Red China,” The Saturday Review, by William Benton, July 15, 1961
Clipping: “Observer of the Soviet,” New York Times, 1964
Memo: William Benton to Donald Stewart, October 7, 1964
Memo: Don Stewart to John V. Dodge, March 30, 1967
Memo: John Robling to William Benton, June 5, 1967
Memo: Bruce Felknor to Francis Nipp, July 20, 1967
Manuscript: “UNESCO: The Dream Comes of Age,” presented at UC, October 11, 1967
Correspondence: William Benton and Dr. Philip Gove (Editor of the Merriam-Webster Third Edition) an answering critics; note to Donald Stewart on transformational grammar, November 6, 1967- January 4, 1968
Letter: Bruce Felknor to Earnest Kafka, January 26, 1968
Manuscript: “The Record of a Tribute to the Honorable William Benton,” presented at reception at UC in honor of Benton, February 1, 1968
Letter: William Benton to Warren Preece, January 6, 1969
Letter: Warren Preece to William Benton, January 13, 1969
Memo: Mrs. William (Helen) Benton to EB Employees, re: transfer of stock to the Benton Foundation, March 17, 1969
Clipping: “Just Plain Bill,” New York Review of Books, October 22, 1970
Correspondence: Richard Smellie and William Benton, December 1971
Letter: Drafts of Letter to unknown recipient re: gift of 1972 edition of EB, January 1972
Letter: William Benton to Warren Preece, March 7, 1972
Memo: Warren Preece to EB Offices, March 21, 1972
Clipping: “U.C. Aide’s Action Saves Britannica Bonanza,” Chicago Tribune, October 8, 1972
Memo: Charles E. Swanson re: death of William Benton, 3 copies, March 19, 1973
Clipping: “William Benton Dies Here at 73,” New York Times, March 19, 1973
Clipping: “Senator Benton’s Legacy,” New York Times, March 27, 1973
Memo: Helen Benton to EB employees, April 12, 1973
Letter: Helen Benton to Donald Stewart, April 27, 1973
Clipping: “A Personal Remembrance of Senator Benton,” Britannica Ink, April 1973
Press Release: “William Benton,” EB PR Division, undated (1973)

Box 1 Folder 3

Board of Editors, 1956-1962, undated

Minutes: EB Board of Editors Meeting, April 10, 1956
Minutes: EB Board of Editors Meeting, June 12, 1956
Minutes: EB Board of Editors Meeting, January 8, 1957
Report: Role of the Board, Warren Preece, April 25, 1957
Report: On Reading Vol. 21, pg 729-779, Robert Redfield, August 20, c. 1957
Minutes: EB Board of Editors Meeting, January 11 and 12, 1960
Minutes: EB Board of Editors Meeting, April 11 and 12, 1960
Members: as of October 23, 1961
Letter: C.F. Stover re: EB Conference on the Technological Order, December 20, 1961
Memo: Harry S. Ashmore to Board of Editors, re: appraisal of five new specialized encyclopedic volumes published in the Soviet Union, December 22, 1961
Memo: Harry S. Ashmore to Board of Editors, re: illustrations in EB, January 2, 1962
Memo: Harry S. Ashmore to Board of Editors, re: summary report of editorial matters, January 4, 1962
Misc: Details for Board of Editors January Meeting, January 4, 1962
Minutes: EB Board of Editors Meeting, January 8 and 9, 1962
Minutes: Agenda for January 8-9 Meeting of Board of Editors; minutes for EB Board of Editors Meeting, January 8 and 9, 1962
Supplement: East-West Study, undated
EB Release: biography of Dr. Robert M. Hutchins, undated (c. 1977)
Report: Ralph Tyler to Editorial Board, re: reading pg. 257-338, Vol. 18, undated

Box 1 Folder 4

A Chat With the Editors, 1972-1973

Excerpts: Remarks by John V. Dodge, March 10, 1972
Excerpts: Remarks by John V. Dodge, Kathleen Ray, September 27, 1973
Excerpts: Remarks by John Armitage, Christopher Kent, June, 1972

Box 1 Folder 5

Circle of Knowledge, 1968-1979

Manuscript: The Circle of Knowledge, 200th Anniversary of EB at Newberry Library, 1968
Manuscript: The Circle of Knowledge, Library of Congress Exhibit, 1979

Box 1 Folder 6

Contributor Guides, 1950s-1960s

Guide: “A Guide for Contributors to the Encyclopædia Britannica,” 6 copies, undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Medicine for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “A Plea for the Lay Reader,” Warren E. Preece, undated
Guide: “Preparation of Biographical Article for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Religion for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Plants for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Mineralogy for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Law for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Industrial Products and Processes for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Aeronautics for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Geography for Encyclopædia Britannica, Countries,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Geography for Encyclopædia Britannica, States,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Geography for Encyclopædia Britannica, U.S. Cities,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Geography for Encyclopædia Britannica, Metropolitan Areas, U.S.,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Continents, Regions and Countries for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Geography for Encyclopædia Britannica, Geographical Features,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Geography for Encyclopædia Britannica, Continents,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Agriculture for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Biology for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Art for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Architecture for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Archaeology for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: “Preparation of Articles on Animals for Encyclopædia Britannica,” undated
Guide: Hebrew Translation guide, undated

Box 1 Folder 7

Dodge, John V., 1955, 1995

Correspondence: John V. Dodge and Robert Hutchins, June 21 - July 7, 1955
Letter: Helen L. Carlock to Donald E. Stewart, June 8, 1995

Box 1 Folder 8

Einbinder, Harvey, 1963

Clipping: “1963 Edition of Britannica Is Called Completed: But Encyclopædia’s Editor Challenged by a Critic,” New York Times, February 25, 1963
Memo: Maurice B. Mitchell to EB Executives and Associates, re: critical Einbinder book, December 30, 1963

Box 2 Folder 1

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Conversations, 1973-1995

Letter: Donald Stewart to Terry Miller Passaro (EB, Inc.), re: transcribed conversations, December 14, 1995
Transcript: Conversation; John V. Dodge and Donald Stewart, March 10, 1972
Transcript: Conversation; Donald Stewart, John V. Dodge, and Mae Mac Kay, April 12, 1972
Transcript: Conversation; John Armitage, June 1972
Transcript: Conversation; Christopher Kent, June 7, 1972
Transcript: Conversation; Donald Stewart, September 12, 1973
Transcript: Conversation; John V. Dodge, Donald Stewart, and Kathleen Ray, September 27, 1973

Box 2 Folder 2

Encyclopædia Britannica, History, 1950s – 1974

Draft: “Editorial Apologia,” Marilyn Munson, c. 1950s.
Manuscript: “Editorial Department,” EB News, July 1960
Memo: Herman Kogan to Donald Stewart, re: Editor’s report of revisions to EB, February 3, 1961
Manuscript: “Britannica Goes to Press,” EB News, July 1961
Memo: John V. Dodge to Edward Doyle, re: editorial changes to 1963 edition of EB, November 30, 1962
Letter: James A. Grenzebach to John C. Byrnes, re: materials used in printing EB books, December 28, 1962
Clipping: “53-millionth volume off the press…,” Unknown Source, c. 1963
Letter: Pierre Salinger (Press Secretary to President Kennedy) to W. Ralph Perry, re: reproduction of presidential seal for EB, June 17, 1963
EB Release: “A History of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,” c. 1964
Misc.: “Various Printing of Encyclopædia Britannica,” March 3, 1966
Misc.: “The Number of Sets and Volumes of EB Publications from 1768 to 1966,” March 10, 1966
Misc.: Various Printing of Enciclopedia Bars,” March 22, 1966
Manuscript: Britannica Phone Directory, August 23, 1973
Manuscript: “The Story of Encyclopædia Britannica,” c. 1974
Manuscript: “News, Views, and Reviews about Britannica 3,” 1974

Box 2 Folder 3

Encyclopædia Britannica, History, 1975-1985, undated

Manuscript: Britannica Phone Directory, 1975
Manuscript: Editor’s Report, 1985
Misc.: “Encyclopædia Britannica Publications,” undated
Misc.: “Major Publications of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,” undated
Misc.: “Other Publications of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. and Its Subsidiaries,” 2 copies, undated
Misc.: “Books and Pamphlets Published by EB, Inc. in the Library Archives,” undated
Misc.: List of EB Publications 1940-1972, undated
Misc: “History of Britannica Junior Encyclopædia,” undated
Draft: “A Tribute to John F. Kennedy,” undated

Box 2 Folder 4

Encyclopædia Britannica, Reports and Publications, 1961-1967

“The Booklist,” American Library Association, December 15, 1961
“To Advance Knowledge,” Encylopedia Britannica, Inc., 1962
“Notes and Examples for the A.L.A. Subscription Books Committee,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1967

Box 2 Folder 5

Encyclopædia Britannica, Reports and Publications, 1967-1968

“Report on the 1967 Edition,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1967
“Report on the 200th Anniversary Edition,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1968
Manuscript: A report to the ALA review committees,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1968 – 1972

Box 3 Folder 1

Encyclopædia Britannica, Reports and Publications, 1969-1970

Manuscript: “Encyclopædia Britannica in 1969,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1969
Manuscript: “Encyclopædia Britannica in 1970,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1970

Box 3 Folder 2

Encyclopædia Britannica, Miscellaneous, 1951-1991, undated

Manuscript: “A Quadrimestrial of Typography and Graphic Arts,” Signature, 1951
Report: “Who Was Who in the Encyclopædia Britannica; and notes on possible re-use of some retired material,” Alexander McQueen, March 5, 1958
Clipping: “The Voice of the Readers or…EB Subscribers Talk Back,” EB News, c. 1962
Misc.: Fact Sheet for Balloons and Britannica, April 1, 1964
Clipping: Entry for “Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions,” Encyclopædia Britannica, 1974
Clipping: Entry for “Dodge, John V(ilas),” Encyclopædia Britannica, 1974
Report: Reader’s letters to the Editors, prepared by Helen Carlock, March 1, 1974
Photo: “The Makers of Britannica 3,” featuring Robert M. Hutchins, Warren E. Preece, Mortimer J. Adler, and William Benton, 1974
Photo: “30-volume EB Set,” 1974
Manuscript: Know Magazine, Fall 1991

Box 3 Folder 3

Fadiman, Clifton (Kip), 1963, undated

Correspondence: William Benton, Clifton Fadiman, and John V. Dodge, re: preservation of Britannica manuscripts for posterity, 1963
Clipping: “Clifton Fadiman; Noted Anthologist and Essayist,” New York Times News Service, undated

Box 3 Folder 4

Goetz, Philip W. (Tom), 1966-1982

Memo: Tom Goetz to Assistant Editors, re: role of editorial team, September 15, 1966
Letter: Tom Goetz to Donald E. Stewart, July 2, 1982
Misc: Editorial Division Organization Chart, c. 1982

Box 3 Folder 5

Haley, Sir William, 1968-1969, undated

Letter: Mortimer Adler to Sir William Haley, February 3, 1968
Correspondence: Donald E. Stewart and Sir William Haley, re: history of the thistle as a symbol for EB, June 26-27, 1968
Clipping: “Overruled at Britannica,” Newsweek, May 5, 1969
Clipping: “Encyclopædia Britannica Feud Seen,” New York Times, April 20, 1969
Clipping: “Sir William Haley,” Unknown Source, comments by Sir Edward Pickering, undated

Box 3 Folder 6

Hooper, Franklin H., 1923-1939

Letters: Sigmund Freud to Franklin Hooper, re: poor quality of translation of Freud’s work from German to English, (photocopies, 3 letters) October 21, 1923 – January 30, 1924
Letter: William Lyon Phelps to Franklin Hooper, (photocopy) January 17, 1928
Letters: Allan Nevins to Franklin Hooper, (photocopies, 4 letters) November 5, 1928 – January 27, 1933
Letter: Emily Post to Franklin Hooper, (photocopy) April 4, 1929
Letter: Roscoe Pound to Franklin Hooper, (photocopy) May 14, 1929
Letter: Robert Hutchins to Franklin Hooper, (photocopy) September 22, 1930
Letter: Irving Langmuir to Franklin Hooper, re: review of EB, (photocopy, review attached) October 4, 1930
Letter: James Harvey Robinson to Mr. Cox, December 18, 1932
Manuscript: “The Story of the Encyclopædia Britannica,” by Franklin H. Hooper, 19390

Box 3 Folder 7

McDavid, Raven I., 1971

Manuscript: “False Scents and Cold Trails: The pre-publication criticism of the Merriam Third,” Journal of English Linguistics, reprint, vol. 5, March 1971.

Box 3 Folder 8

McKeon, Richard, c. 1956

Manuscript: “The History of Encyclopaedias and the Functions of Encyclopaedias Today,” unpublished, presented to EB Board of Editors, c. 1956

Box 3 Folder 9

Phillips, Professor W. Alison, undated

Manuscript: Excerpt from unpublished autobiography, concerns conversations and correspondence with EB owner Horace Hooper and other anecdotes from author’s time as editorial staff member, undated

Box 3 Folder 10

Preece, Warren E., 1963-1974

Memo: Robert M. Hutchins to Board of Editors, re: report of first eight volumes of 1963 printing (report attached), April 1, 1963
Minutes: EB Board of Editors Meeting, April 8 and 9, 1963
Memo: Warren Preece to Editorial Department, re: American focus of EB, November 22, 1965
Manuscript: “The Organization of Knowledge and the Planning of Encyclopaedias: The Case of the Encyclopaedia Britannica,” Journal of WOrl History, reprint, vol. 9, no. 3, 1966
Memo: Warren Preece to Assistant Editors, re: article submission policy, August 22, 1966
Draft: “Third Encyclopædia Britannica Lecture,” delivered at UC, October 25, 1967
Manuscript: “Memo From a Curious World,” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, reprint, vol. 12, no. 3, Spring 1969
Memo: Warren Preece to Sir William Haley, re: defense of Board of Editor’s plan for 15th edition, March 7, 1969
Draft: Sample Invitation Letter for EB Contributors, October 7, 1969
Memo: Warren Preece to Senior and Associate Editors, re: contributor problems, payment and article length, October 9. 1969
Memo: Warren Preece to Editors, re: contributor problems, article length, October 24, 1969
Memo: Warren Preece to Mortimer Adler, re: contributor fees and problems, January 21, 1970
Memo: Warren Preece to Mortimer Adler, re: potential production problems, January 8, 1970
Memo: Warren Preece to Mortimer Adler, re: further production problems, January 12, 1970
Memo: Warren Preece to Robert M. Hutchins, Mortimer Adler, and Charles Swanson, re: publishing timeline for Plan B, February 9, 1970
Memo: Warren Preece to Plan B Editorial Staff, re: editorial notes, February 1972
Memo: Warren Preece to Editors, re: updating articles before press, April 13, 1972
Memo: Waren Preece to All Principal Editors, June 12, 1972
Memo: Warren Preece to Editors, June 19, 1972
Memo: Warren Preece to Mortimer Adler, re: recalling pages, July 9, 1973
Manuscript: “The New Britannica,” Scholarly Publishing, reprint, January 1974

Box 3 Folder 11

Stewart, Donald E., 1961-1974, undated

Clipping: “EB Census Man Completes Big Job,” EB News, c. 1961
Misc.: Notes on dictionaries and subscription sales, December 1962
Clipping: “Birth of a Set of Books,” Know Magazine, Fall 1963
EB Release: on the promotion of Donald Stewart to Associate Editor, c. 1964
Memo: William Benton to Donald Stewart, October 7, 1964
Manuscript: Report of the Subcommittee on Computer Typesetting, July 1965
Memos: Donald Stewart, Howard Goodkind, and Charles Swanson, re: EB’s connection to UC on advising, October 9, 1967
Clipping: “Encyclopaedia,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, early 1970s
Memo: Charles Swanson to All Editorial Personnel, re: editorial organization, February 14, 1973
Memo: Donald Stewart to Julie Mellow, July 25, 1973
Misc.: Letter of Recommendation by Philip W. Goetz for Donald Stewart, October 12, 1973
Letter: Warren E. Preece to Donald Stewart, Novermber 8, 1973
Clipping: “Hutchins, Robert M.,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1974
Letters: Sir William Haley to Donald Stewart, February 9, 1974
Clipping: “Britannica Names Stewart, Krueger,” Evanston Review, undated
Draft: “I Remember Warren Preece,” by Donald Stewart, unpublished memoir, undated
Draft: “I Remember Dr. Adler,” by Donald Stewart, unpublished memoir, undated
Draft: “I Remember Robert Hutchins,” by Donald Stewart, unpublished memoir, undated
Draft: “I Remember Sir William Haley,” by Donald Stewart, unpublished memoir, undated
Draft: “A Visit with General Robert E. Wood,” by Donald Stewart, unpublished memoir, undated
Draft: “Learning to ask questions: Attending the University of Chicago,” by Donald Stewart, unpublished memoir, undated
Draft: “Part One: Britannica Days – I find a Career,” by Donald Stewart, unpublished memoir, undated

Box 3 Folder 12

Wells, H.G., 1925

Manuscript: “A Forecast of the World’s Affairs,” by H.G. Wells, reprint of one of the chapters of These Eventful Years, 1925

Box 3 Folder 13

Wood, General Robert E., 1963

Manuscript: “A Monument for the World: Building the Panama Canal,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1963

Box 4

Medal struck to celebrate 20th anniversary, 1968

Box 4

Sample of Brick from Mandel Building, 1988