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Nathan Brandt papers

 Collection
Identifier: D.304

Biographical / Historical note

Nathan Brandt (born 1929) is a veteran journalist who began his career with CBS News as a senior news writer, then turned to print journalism. He was a reporter on several newspapers before joining the New York Times as editor, working primarily on the National News Desk. Subsequently, he was Managing Editor of American Heritage Magazine and Editor-in-Chief of Publisher's Weekly. He is past president of the nation's oldest journalists' organization, the Society of the Silurians. A native of New York City, Brandt majored in history at the University of Rochester (BA, 1951) and was a member of the school's history honor society, the Morey Club. Under the name of Nat Brandt, he has written many books and articles on American history. The Man Who Tried to Burn New York, which deals with the Confederate plot to burn New York City in 1864, won the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award in 1987. Brandt's other books include Mr. Tubb's Civil War, Harlem at War: The Black Experience in WWII, The Town That Started the Civil War (which was a Book-of the-Month Club and History Book Club selection), The Congressman Who Got Away with Murder, Massacre in Shansi, and When Oberlin was King of the Gridiron: The Heisman Years. Brandt has lectured extensively on the Civil War and given presentations at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. on both the Civil War and Harlem during World War II. He was co-creator of the television series Crucible of the Millennium. He has taught as an adjunct professor of journalism at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of New York University and at St. John's University in Queens.

Scope and Contents

The Nathan Brandt papers are primarily composed of research notes and background material for the writer's books, and are organized in series by title:



Series I: The Man Who Tried to Burn New York, [dates]

Series II: The Congressman Who Got Away with Murder, [dates]

Series III: Mr. Tubbs' Civil War, [dates]

Series IV: Harlem at War, [dates]



There are also a number of interviews on audiocassette, which are found in Series V: Interviews.

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1818-1994

Language of Materials

English

Extent

29 box(es)

Access

The Nathan Brandt papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Nathan Brandt Papers, D.304, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Subject

Title
Nathan Brandt papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA