About the Editor – Bell/Spires, undated

Scope and content note: This series contains production notes, original cover artwork and photographs, cover stock, and correspondence. Many of the materials relate to the physical design and layout of the magazine. An e-mail exchange with founder DeWitt Henry sheds light on the early production process: in the 1970's, the typewriter was the key production tool used to assemble each issue. The Exacto knives, scissors, spray adhesive, and brushes used to piece the magazine together are present in this collection, as well as galleys for volume 1 no. 2 and no. 3. In the mid-1980's, the gift of an IBM laptop introduced computers into the workflow. Gradually, increasingly powerful computers and improved software allowed more of the production work to be done on a computer desktop.

This series also includes materials documenting Ploughshares' distribution and subscription models, as well as related small press distribution projects, like Exile's Return. Additional materials located in Series 1, Subseries A document Book Affair's subsidized distribution of small press publications to libraries.