Editors’ Files, 1972-1980

The Texas Monthly Archives consist of the following series: Editorial, Advertising, Production, Publicity and Marketing, and Financial and Circulation, which document all aspects of Texas Monthly magazine, from its beginning in 1972, to the present day. To date, only materials from the first five years of the Editorial Series (44 of the total 900 linear feet of records) have been processed which consists of this collection.

The Editorial Series is by far the largest part of the collection, and contains two Subseries: “Issue Files” and “Editorial Research”. This material documents the drafts, edits, and fact checking related to each issue. Formats include drafts and back up research materials. Correspondence is minimal. In some instances actual letters to the editor were retained; likewise, some original entries for the “Contest” were retained. Press releases, brochures, notes and letters providing information for “Touts” were usually retained, along with early drafts. The papers include production notes, staff notes, libel and legal notes from David Anderson and Jim George, the magazine’s attorneys. Also included are galleys (usually multiple runs) page proofs and slicks. Occasionally there are photocopies of photographs used in the articles; in some of the Reporter proofs are page layout markups.

The Editorial Series also includes some editorial correspondence, budgetary summaries, receipts and notes from the editor re money matters, and drafts of articles by the editors (handwritten, as well as typed).

The processed papers have an earliest date of 1972 and extend into 1980, with the processed issue papers dating through 1978. (See Series Description for more precise dating.)