Creators:

Spectorsky, A. C. (Auguste C)

Scope and content:

Playboy magazine had approached Herb Caen initially with the idea of a column, but Caen was not interested in writing without a byline and recommended Stern to his friend A.C. "Spec" Spectorsky, the associate publisher responsible for the magazine's literary merits until his death in the early 1970s.

Playboy was then more of a men's lifestyle magazine, and Stern wrote several travel and leisure articles as a continuing feature called "On The Town." Naturally, he covered San Francisco first (drawing on his many PR contacts), followed by pieces on New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Acapulco. He also wrote a little for the short-lived affiliate Show Business Iillustrated.

The majority of correspondence here is between Stern and Spectorsky. Other letters involve Hugh Hefner, associate editor Jack Kessie, photo editor Vincent T. Tajiri, personnel director (and Spec's wife) Theo, artist LeRoy Neiman (one letter from 1958), SBI senior editors Marvin Barnett & Don Gold, SBI associate editor Sheldon Wax, as well as a few between Spec and Caen. There are also a few internal memos. While all correspondence has been sorted in chronological files, material on the articles has been arranged alphabetically.

Language:

English .

Names:

Playboy (Chicago, Ill.)

Contents

Access and use