H. Lucas Ginn letters received, 1989-1991

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Summary

Creators:
Ginn, H. Lucas
Abstract:
Letters from pen pals in the Soviet Union, relating to social conditions and youth culture in the Soviet Union.
Extent:
4 manuscript boxes (1.6 Linear Feet)
Language:
Mainly in Russian
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], H. Lucas Ginn letters received, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

Most letters, which came from all over the USSR, are brief (and in Russian) but do allow some glimpses of the interests of Soviet youth at the time, including music, current events, and AIDS. Historians and sociologists will find the letters interesting for what they tell us about how Soviet youth, ranging from fourteen to sixteen years old, viewed the world, the United States, and their own society in the crucial years preceding their state's collapse.

Biographical / historical:

In 1989, H. Lucas Ginn, then a California high school student, wrote to a Soviet magazine saying he was seeking a pen pal in the Soviet Union. Ginn's letter and address were published in Studencheskii meridian, a youth magazine; he subsequently received some two thousand missives from young Soviet citizens. The era of glasnost had just begun, making corresponding with their peers in the West a novelty for Soviet youth, which explains the exuberance with which they responded to Ginn's letter.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2012.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], H. Lucas Ginn letters received, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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