Ralph Ginzburg papers, 1953-1986

Ralph Ginzburg (1929-2006) was a journalist, publisher, and editor who began his career at the "Washington Times-Herald", 1949-1951. He wrote free lance articles and also worked as an editor for "Esquire", 1956-1958; "Eros", 1962-1963; and "Fact" 1964. He was sued for libel by Barry Goldwater in 1964. In another case he was sentenced to five years in prison for obscenity, a sentence which he appealed up to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing First Amendment rights in 1965. He collected numerous letters from high profile persons like Alan Tate, Norman Mailer, and Melvin Belli by soliciting "self-obituaries". He published four books: "An Unhurried View of Erotica" (1956), "100 Years of Lynching" (1961), "Eros on Trial" (1964), and "Castrated: My Eight Months in Prison" (1973).