I am looking for the content of an article written for the New Yorker
Magazine in the late 1970's or early 1980's.  The topic of the article
was pyramid schemes, and made reference to an individual, Robbie Katz
(name changed for purpose of the article).  If possible, I would like
the complete content of this article.

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Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 02 Jan 2004 09:38 PST

Lauren9 --

I'm pretty certain that I can locate the print article for you but
you're unlikely to have access to it online.  The New Yorker is
available online through Proquest Magazines back to 1994.  Proquest is
a fee-based service often available at no charge in American
libraries.

My access would come via a local library stack which has major
publications archived back to the 1920s.  Because of copyright
considerations, a researcher could:
1.  find the date of publication
2.  summarize the article but probably not be able to provide a complete copy

Of course, once you know the date, a library in your area is likely to
have old copies of The New Yorker.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

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Clarification of Question by lauren9-ga on 02 Jan 2004 10:00 PST

Hello Omnivorous,

I would be very grateful for the date of publication of the article,
and a summary of the article (assuming that a complete copy is not
available).

Thank you for your help!

Lauren9

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Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 02 Jan 2004 13:13 PST

Lauren9 --

I'm afraid that we struck out on this search.  Searches for major
American magazines in the pre-Internet period are generally done with
the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.  It's not quite as
friendly as using Google; in the pre-1980 period there are some
references to "pyramid selling operations" but in the post 1980 period
pyramid scams are listed under the general category of "Fraud".

I checked March, 1975 through Jan. 1, 1988 but only found one article
in The New Yorker and it appears unlikely to be what you're seeking:
"Letter from Europe -- A. Verdiglione's psychoanalysis scam in Milan,"
June 8, 1987, written by J. Kramer.

It's not that there's any shortage of article on pyramid schemes --
there are at least 20 each year.  Notably New York Magazine has MANY
more than The New Yorker.  As an example, in 1986 alone, New York
Magazine ran two articles:
"The Indian-head penny scam," Feb. 24, 1986
"Inside the boiler room: how scam artists steal millions over the
phone," Aug. 4, 1986

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

There's been tons of stuff published on the Net and in Book form about
Pyramid Schemes.

Is there any one in particular that has grabbed your attention?

I am looking for one particular article that was written for the New
Yorker Magazine in the late 1970's.  The article focused on one
particular individual, Robbie Katz (name changed for the purpose of
the article).  The article cited this individual as a car salesman,
and a resident of San Jose, California.  I am looking for the complete
content of this article.