b'Collecting theVoices of HistoryThe calling of a historical documents dealerBY HARRIET SIGERMANStuart Lutz has amassed one of the largest collections of Vietnam War material in the world, including this license plate.P eruse the current catalog of Stu- ter their historic transatlantic flight from Irelanddiers son once offered Lutz seven bins of his fa-art Lutz Historic Documents into Canada; a photograph album of an early Gaythers possessions. They either go into the trash South Orange and youll enter aPride parade in New York City; and scores of oth- or you can have them. Lutz eagerly rescued them.treasure trove of historical docu- er documents providing an intimate glimpse intoAftergraduatingfromJohnsHopkins,Lutz mentsfromacrosstimeandour countrys past and that of other nations. worked for Kaller Historical Documents in As-place.What may be one persons trash becomes forburyPark.Hegotthejobbypureluck,he StuartLutzhasbeendeal- him a treasured window into the past. He onceclaims, and never knew that the field of docu-ing with historic documents for 35 years. He hasbought the personal papers of an anthropologist bought and sold U.S. presidents letters and docu- who worked in Vietnam and kept a detailed di-ments, literary manuscripts, signed photographsary during the 1968 Tet Offensive, a coordinated byperformersandfirstladies,andpartialandsurprise attack by the Viet Cong and the North complete archives. When asked what appeals toVietnamese army against the South Vietnamese him about a document, he says, If its somethingarmy, the U.S. military, and its allies. It was one of Ive never seen before, Im more likely to buy it. Ifthe largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War it sings to me, Ill buy it.and a major turning point in the conflict. Lutz His varied catalog includes a loving letter bybought the collection because he was certain the First Lady Abigail Adams to her daughter-in-law;mans children would throw out what, according afamilyscrapbookshowcasingtheearlypoliti- to Lutz, they thought were worthless papers.cal career of Arthur W. Mitchell, the first AfricanBut Lutz finds such worthless papers to be American elected to Congress; a letter written by afascinating and historically significant. A separate Japanese resident shortly after V-J Day describingdiary, kept by a GI in the Vietnamese jungle, pro-the horrendous living conditions in Japan; a lettervided a gripping first-hand account of the begin-by womans rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stantonning of the offensive, from hand-to-hand combat commenting on the early abolitionist struggles; ato tanks and mortar attacks, bringing to life theStuart Lutz examines a document. He says, "Working with documents is far more interesting than reading signed photograph by the crew of the Bremen af- harrowing reality of war. Similarly, a Vietnam sol- about history in graduate school."14/ matters magazine / summer 2025'