Correspondence, 1980-1986

The correspondence in this series dates from 1980 to 1986 and documents the process of identifying and assimilating information for the book. The authors wrote to Lenore Swoiskin, archivist of Sears, Roebuck and Company, in order to obtain research material for the book. They also contacted various homeowners across the country as a means of learning about the mail-order homes. In turn, the homeowners responded with letters - and sometimes a photograph - describing their homes. The originals are in Series V. Not only did these people provide structural details of their houses, but they often included colorful anecdotes about what owning a Sears home has meant to them. Thus, these letters may reveal some insights into the cultural phenomenon of mail-order homes. This series also includes correspondence with the publisher, the Preservation Press. Arrangement is chronological.