Series 5 - Manuscripts and offprints

3.61 m of textual records, publications and moving images

This series contains files documenting over 700 of Professor Rapoport’s scholarly works. The range of topics for these works documents his scholarly contributions to mathematics, his main field of study, as well as his expertise in music, psychology and later, peace studies. It includes manuscripts for both published and unpublished articles, chapters in books, reviews, reports, addresses and comments. Manuscripts for two books only (out of some 30 recorded on his bibliography) are found in this series: Conversations with three Russians, published in 2002 and Decision theory and decision behavior (revised edition 1998) Included is a copy of his doctoral dissertation published by the University of Chicago (1941) (Box 039), articles on game theory and the prisoner’s dilemma as well as peace studies (Boxes 039 to 049). Also included are files on ten “Russian lectures” delivered in the mid 1970s. The majority of manuscripts are in English, but Russian and German language works will also be found. Also there is a video recorded lecture on General Systems Theory given at the University of Houston in 1990.

Files described as “Comments” contain mainly manuscripts of written commentary, and correspondence on other scholars’ papers at conferences, in articles and books, or proposed research produced at the request of a granting foundation or scholarly journal. Grant foundations include, among others, the National Science Foundation and the Canada Council.

Additional files contain correspondence and manuscripts for issues of Mathematical Reviews, the journal of the American Mathematical Society. Many of the manuscripts are undated, but appear to have been created from 1961 to 1983. (Correspondence relating to these and later submissions are found in Series 2). In 1960s, Rapoport was one of 1500 mathematicians contributing short reviews of works published in mathematical journals around the world.

The arrangement of files in boxes 039 to 056 of this series reflects the order originally imposed by Professor Rapoport. He assigned a number to most of these works and arranged them in numerical order (gaps exist in the numbering system). File list is based on his bibliography which was provided to the University Archives in electronic form.

It is arranged by type of publication (i.e. books, followed by articles) and then chronologically within each type of publication. The numbers assigned to each manuscript have been retained. Following these files is a second grouping of manuscripts of works for which publication status is not identified. Professor Rapoport assigned consecutive numbers to each manuscript (gaps in the numbers exist) and provided alphabetical access by a card index ( see Box 057) A few manuscripts remained unnumbered and are filed at the beginning of this section.

Posters for addresses, ‘What is semantics?’ (21 March 1952), ‘Semantics and ethics’ (20 July 1955), and ‘New currents in the physical and behavioral sciences’ (10 November 1962), have been removed from box /049(46) to /066(03).

B2005-0018/039 to /049 (01) – (45)
Manuscripts and offprints of published works.
Files listed below .

B2005-0018/039/049 (46) – (57) to /056
Manuscripts of predominantly unpublished works including numbered series, unnumbered manuscripts and addresses.
Files listed below.

B2005-0018/002M
Video recorded lecture at University of Houston, 1990
Files not listed

B2005-0018/058 to /059 (01) – (06)
Comments. Also includes four files containing articles about Rapoport’s writings.
Files not listed

B2005-0018/059 (07) – (10)
Mathematical Reviews 1961-1983
Files not listed.

B2005-0018/060
Conversations with three Russians (2002)
Files not listed.

B2005-0018/061 (01)
Decision theory and decision behavior (1998 revised edition)
Files not listed.

For additional correspondence (and some manuscripts) relating to Professor Rapoport’s writings, see Series 2.