Hell in the Holy Land … The Divorce Factory … Our Problem of National Defense… Social Security, Limited … Why America’s Next President Should Be a Woman… Science Fights Cancer with Diet … The Truth about Marihuana … Life After
Death: Are We Getting New Proofs? … Is the Klan Coming Back
The headlines above might be found in any current magazine,
but they actually appeared in a popular periodical of the1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Liberty, the magazine that rivaled
Collier’s and the Saturday Evening Post for readership, records
Lowell Thomas eyeing the Middle East Crisis back in 1937,a divorce “epidemic” hitting in 1929, and the Klu Klux
Klan “returning” in 1940, the same year Gracie Allen proclaimed
a woman president a great idea.
Now students, teachers, historians, and researchers, using Liberty,
cancan trace the development of recent history. Researchers interested
in popular culture will find Liberty’s pages full of information
covering every phase of America’s evolution for over a quarter of acentury. Because more than 90 percent of the material in Liberty has never been reprinted oranthologized, this collection creates endless possibilities for new and more thorough research.
For 3,000,000 Americans every week, Liberty provided the latest
coverage of the national and international scene. FDR wrote on the New
Deal and the dole; he also entertained his readers with a mystery story.
Gorki wrote an essay on Lenin. And J. Edgar Hoover encouraged scouts
to become G-Men, while Mary Pickford advised teenage girls on the artof arguing with their mothers for bobbed hair.
Published for 26 consecutive years (from May 1924 to July 1950), Liberty
contains over 17,000 stories and articles. Eighty percent of the material
was non-fiction, an attribute which set Liberty apart from the Saturday
Evening Post. Here is indispensible material for a researcher of theperiod – and a new primary source providing fresh approaches for students of current problems
and issues:
Margaret Sanger debated Mahatma Gandhi about birth control, arguing in 1939 fora woman’s right to control her own body’s functions. She said Gandhi’s support ofbirth control by abstinence reduced “the most idealistic human relationship to thelevel of stock-breeding.”

Charles de Gaulle and Neville Chamberlain wrote about the threat of war in 1938.
And Japan’s ambassador to America asked “Must Japan and the United States Go toWar?” that same year.
A 1949 article on marihuana shared the opinions of doctors, government officials,and smokers with readers, and quoted Dr. Kinsey (“the much-talked-about author ofmale sexuality”), as saying “marihuana is not a drug,” that it”…releases inhibitions,but that’s about all.”
Liberty’s fictional offerings are also outstanding. Among its
writers were F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Somerset Maugham,John Dos Passos, and Dashiell Hammett. One of Liberty’s most
famous departments was its short stories. Known and unknown
writers turned out almost 1300 stories of just 1,000 words whichwere considered classics for their tight editing and twist endings.
And Liberty holds a major collection of Robert Benchley’s works amongits 340 humor stories. The Liberty archive includes over 900 adventurestories, 300 Westerns, 1500 British and American mystery/spy stories,
and 500 World War I and II stories.
Liberty’s documentation of the nation’s ideals, values, worries, and desires is fascinating.
Albert Einstein explained why civilization will not end. Madame ChiangKai-shek pondered what would happen to China and Japan, while George
Bernard Shaw described “the Palestinian muddle.” H.L. Mencken
declared that capitalism wouldn’t die. Mussolini called Roosevelt adictator, and H.G. Wells feared for the future of the Jews. Dizzy Dean andJoe Louis discussed their respective sports. While Mickey Rooney’s
marriages were reviewed, Garbo told why she would never marry.
Women sought advice about writing to servicemen, using their husbands’
names, and being drafted. The Lindbergh kidnapping and the Nuremberg
trial were emotionally reported, with Bruno Hauptmann, the man
accused and executed for the kidnapping, asking readers “why did you killme?” Billy Mitchell’s war diary was a Liberty exclusive. Winston
Churchill, Theodore Dreiser, Leo Tolstoy – all were contributors.
Unquestionably, Liberty magazine illuminated numerous aspects of American life during themid-20th century. But its relevance is not confined to the past. Liberty chronicles the nation
recovering from one war, preparing for another. The magazine records American popular
culture, unlocking the immediate past so scholars can examine the nation’s history, helping us
to better understand our present concerns and pleasures.

Gale Digital Collections

1-800-877-GALE (4253)

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