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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Document Type dei_DocumentType 485BPOS
Period End Date dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate Dec. 31, 2010
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName DAVIS NEW YORK VENTURE FUND INC.
CIK dei_EntityCentralIndexKey 0000071701
Amendment dei_AmendmentFlag false
Creation Date dei_DocumentCreationDate Dec. 01, 2011
Effective Date dei_DocumentEffectiveDate Dec. 01, 2011
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Dec. 01, 2011
Davis New York Venture Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return rr_RiskReturnHeading Fund Summary: Davis New York Venture Fund
Investment Objective: rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Investment Objective rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock Davis New York Venture Fund's investment objective is long-term growth of capital.
Fees and expenses of the fund: rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of Davis New York Venture Fund
Fees and expenses of the fund, narrative rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of Davis New York Venture Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Davis Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the "How to Choose a Share Class, Class A Shares" section of the Fund's statutory prospectus on page 27 and in the "Selecting the Appropriate Class of Shares" section of the Fund's statement of additional information on page 52.
Shareholder fees, caption rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)
Annual fund operating expenses, heading rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio turnover, heading rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio turnover, narrative rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock Davis New York Venture Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 8.00%
Expense Breakpoint Discounts rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Davis Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount 100,000
Example, heading rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example, Narrative rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

This Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Davis New York Venture Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. This Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Class B shares' expenses for the 10 year period include three years of Class A shares' expenses since Class B shares automatically convert to Class A shares after seven years. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Strategy, Heading rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy, Narrative rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Davis Selected Advisers, L.P., ("Davis Advisors" or the "Adviser") the Fund's investment adviser, uses the Davis Investment Discipline to invest the majority of the Fund's assets in equity securities (typically common stocks, but may also include preferred stocks, convertible bonds, and other forms of equity securities) issued by large companies with market capitalizations of at least $10 billion. Historically, the Fund has invested a significant portion of its assets in financial services companies. The Fund has the flexibility to invest in foreign securities.

Davis Investment Discipline. Davis Advisors manages equity funds using the Davis Investment Discipline. Davis Advisors conducts extensive research to try to identify businesses that possess characteristics that Davis Advisors believes foster the creation of long-term value, such as proven management, a durable franchise and business model, and sustainable competitive advantages. Davis Advisors aims to invest in such businesses when they are trading at discounts to their intrinsic worth. Davis Advisors emphasizes individual stock selection and believes that the ability to evaluate management is critical. Davis Advisors routinely visits managers at their places of business in order to gain insight into the relative value of different businesses. Such research, however rigorous, involves predictions and forecasts that are inherently uncertain. After determining which companies Davis Advisors believes the Fund should own, Davis Advisors then turns its analysis to determining the intrinsic value of those companies' equity securities. Davis Advisors seeks equity securities which can be purchased at attractive valuations relative to their intrinsic value. Davis Advisors' goal is to invest in companies for the long term. Davis Advisors considers selling a company's equity securities if the securities' market price exceeds Davis Advisors' estimates of intrinsic value, or if the ratio of the risks and rewards of continuing to own the company's equity securities is no longer attractive.

Portfolio Concentration rr_StrategyPortfolioConcentration The Fund may not concentrate its investments in the securities of issuers primarily engaged in any particular industry.
Risk, Heading rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks of Investing in Davis New York Venture Fund
Risk, Narrative rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

You may lose money by investing in Davis New York Venture Fund. Investors in the Fund should have a long-term perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

  • Stock Market risk. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices, including the possibility of sharp declines.
  • Manager risk. Poor security selection or focus on securities in a particular sector, category, or group of companies may cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
  • Common Stock risk. Common stock represents an ownership position in a company. An adverse event may have a negative impact on a company and could result in a decline in the price of its common stock. Common stock is generally subordinate to an issuer's other securities, including preferred, convertible, and debt securities.
  • Financial Services risk. Investing a significant portion of assets in the financial services sector may cause the Fund to be more sensitive to problems affecting financial companies.
  • Foreign Country risk. Foreign companies may be subject to greater risk as foreign economies may not be as strong or diversified, foreign political systems may not be as stable, and foreign financial reporting standards may not be as rigorous as they are in the United States.
  • Emerging Market risk. The Fund invests in emerging or developing markets. Securities of issuers in emerging and developing markets may offer special investment opportunities, but present risks not found in more mature markets.
  • Foreign Currency risk. Securities issued by foreign companies are frequently denominated in foreign currencies. The change in value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a change in the U.S. dollar value of securities denominated in that foreign currency.
  • Trading Markets and Depositary Receipts risk. Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, including American, European and Global Depositary Receipts. Although depositary receipts have risks similar to the securities that they represent, they may also involve higher expenses and may trade at a discount (or premium) to the underlying security. In addition, depositary receipts may not pass through voting and other shareholder rights, and may be less liquid than the underlying securities listed on an exchange.
  • Headline risk. The Fund may invest in a company when the company becomes the center of controversy after receiving adverse media attention concerning its operations, long-term prospects, or management or for other reasons. While Davis Advisors researches companies subject to such contingencies, it cannot be correct every time, and the company's stock may never recover or may become worthless.
  • Fees and Expenses risk. The Fund may not earn enough through income and capital appreciation to offset the operating expenses of the Fund. All mutual funds incur operating fees and expenses. Fees and expenses reduce the return which a shareholder may earn by investing in a fund, even when a fund has favorable performance. A low return environment, or a bear market, increases the risk that a shareholder may lose money.
Your investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person.
May Lose Money rr_RiskLoseMoney Your investment is not guaranteed and you may lose money.
Not Insured Depository Institution rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Your investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person.
Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Results
Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart below provides some indication of the risks of investing in Davis New York Venture Fund by showing how the Fund's investment results have varied from year to year.
Performance, Availability by Phone rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-279-0279
Performance, Availability at Web Site Address rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.davisfunds.com
Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart, Heading rr_BarChartHeading Calendar year total returns for Class A shares (Results do not include a sales charge; if a sales charge were included, results would be lower.)
Bar Chart, Narrative rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart below provides some indication of the risks of investing in Davis New York Venture Fund by showing how the Fund's investment results have varied from year to year. The following table shows how the Fund's average annual total returns for the periods indicated compare with those of the S&P 500(R) Index, a broad-based securities market index. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated information on the Fund's results can be obtained by visiting www.davisfunds.com or by calling 1-800-279-0279.

After-tax returns are shown only for Class A shares; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement accounts.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads Results do not include a sales charge. If a sales charge were included, results would be lower.
Performance Table: rr_PerformanceTableHeading Davis New York Venture Fund Average Annual Total Returns
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads (With Maximum Sales Charges)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table Narrative rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock for the periods ended December 31, 2010 (with maximum sales charge)
Davis New York Venture Fund | S&P500® Index - reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.06%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.29%
Past 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.41%
Davis New York Venture Fund | Class A shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price.) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice 4.75%
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions (as a percentage of the lesser of the net asset value of the shares redeemed or the total cost of such shares. Only applies to Class A shares if you buy shares valued at $1 million or more without a sales charge and sell the shares within one year of purchase.) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 0.50%
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of total redemption proceeds.) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.49%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.24%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.16%
Total Annual Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.89%
With Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 562
With Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 745
With Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 945
With Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,519
No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 562
No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 745
No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 945
No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 1,519
2001 rr_AnnualReturn2001 (11.41%)
2002 rr_AnnualReturn2002 (17.16%)
2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 32.34%
2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 12.37%
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 10.68%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 15.12%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 4.97%
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (40.03%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 32.06%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 12.11%
Bar Chart, Closing rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Highest/Lowest quarterly results during this time period were:

Highest 21.05% for the quarter ended June 30, 2009

Lowest (24.52%) for the quarter ended December 31, 2008

Total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 (not annualized) was (14.27%).

Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Sep. 30, 2011
Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn (14.27%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Highest quarter
Highest Quarterly Return Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 21.05%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Lowest quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (24.52%)
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 6.80%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.44%
Past 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.13%
Davis New York Venture Fund | Class A shares | return after taxes on distributions
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 6.62%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.28%
Past 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.99%
Davis New York Venture Fund | Class A shares | return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.65%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.36%
Past 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.80%
Davis New York Venture Fund | Class B shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price.) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions (as a percentage of the lesser of the net asset value of the shares redeemed or the total cost of such shares. Only applies to Class A shares if you buy shares valued at $1 million or more without a sales charge and sell the shares within one year of purchase.) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 4.00%
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of total redemption proceeds.) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.49%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.30%
Total Annual Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.79%
With Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 582
With Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 863
With Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,170
With Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,757
No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 182
No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 563
No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 970
No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 1,757
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.16%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.18%
Past 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.05%
Davis New York Venture Fund | Class C shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price.) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions (as a percentage of the lesser of the net asset value of the shares redeemed or the total cost of such shares. Only applies to Class A shares if you buy shares valued at $1 million or more without a sales charge and sell the shares within one year of purchase.) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00%
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of total redemption proceeds.) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.49%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.18%
Total Annual Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.67%
With Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 270
With Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 526
With Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 907
With Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,976
No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 170
No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 526
No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 907
No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 1,976
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 10.26%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.64%
Past 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.83%
Davis New York Venture Fund | Class Y shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price.) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions (as a percentage of the lesser of the net asset value of the shares redeemed or the total cost of such shares. Only applies to Class A shares if you buy shares valued at $1 million or more without a sales charge and sell the shares within one year of purchase.) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of total redemption proceeds.) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.49%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.13%
Total Annual Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.62%
With Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 63
With Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 199
With Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 346
With Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 774
No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 63
No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 199
No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 346
No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 774
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.40%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.69%
Past 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.93%
Davis New York Venture Fund | Class R shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price.) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions (as a percentage of the lesser of the net asset value of the shares redeemed or the total cost of such shares. Only applies to Class A shares if you buy shares valued at $1 million or more without a sales charge and sell the shares within one year of purchase.) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of total redemption proceeds.) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.49%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.50%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.23%
Total Annual Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.22%
With Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 124
With Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 387
With Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 670
With Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,477
No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 124
No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 387
No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 670
No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 1,477
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 11.73%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.08%
Lifetime rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.74%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Aug. 20, 2003
Davis Research Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return rr_RiskReturnHeading Fund Summary: Davis Research Fund
Investment Objective: rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Investment Objective rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock Davis Research Fund's investment objective is long-term growth of capital.
Fees and expenses of the fund: rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of Davis Research Fund
Fees and expenses of the fund, narrative rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of Davis Research Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Davis Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the "How to Choose a Share Class, Class A shares" section of the Fund's statutory prospectus on page 25 and in the "Selecting the Appropriate Class of Shares" section of the Fund's statement of additional information on page 47.
Shareholder fees, caption rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)
Annual fund operating expenses, heading rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio turnover, heading rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio turnover, narrative rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock Davis Research Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 30.00%
Expense Breakpoint Discounts rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Davis Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount 100,000
Example, heading rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example, Narrative rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

This Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Davis Research Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. This Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Strategy, Heading rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy, Narrative rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Davis Selected Advisers, L.P., ("Davis Advisors" or the "Adviser") the Fund's investment adviser, uses the Davis Investment Discipline to invest the majority of the Fund's assets in equity securities (typically common stocks, but may also include preferred stocks, convertible bonds, and other forms of equity securities) issued by medium and large capitalization companies. The Fund considers companies with market capitalizations of at least $10 billion to be large-capitalization companies and companies with market capitalizations between $3 billion and $10 billion to be medium-capitalization companies. The Fund has the flexibility to invest in foreign securities.

Davis Investment Discipline. Davis Advisors manages equity funds using the Davis Investment Discipline. Davis Advisors conducts extensive research to try to identify businesses that possess characteristics that Davis Advisors believes foster the creation of long-term value, such as proven management, a durable franchise and business model, and sustainable competitive advantages. Davis Advisors aims to invest in such businesses when they are trading at discounts to their intrinsic worth. Davis Advisors emphasizes individual stock selection and believes that the ability to evaluate management is critical. Davis Advisors routinely visits managers at their places of business in order to gain insight into the relative value of different businesses. Such research, however rigorous, involves predictions and forecasts that are inherently uncertain. After determining which companies Davis Advisors believes the Fund should own, Davis Advisors then turns its analysis to determining the intrinsic value of those companies' equity securities. Davis Advisors seeks equity securities which can be purchased at attractive valuations relative to their intrinsic value. Davis Advisors' goal is to invest in companies for the long term. Davis Advisors considers selling a company's equity securities if the securities' market price exceeds Davis Advisors' estimates of intrinsic value, or if the ratio of the risks and rewards of continuing to own the company's equity securities is no longer attractive.

Risk, Heading rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks of Investing in Davis Research Fund
Risk, Narrative rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

You may lose money by investing in Davis Research Fund. Investors in the Fund should have a long-term perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

  • Stock Market risk. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices, including the possibility of sharp declines.
  • Manager risk. Poor security selection or focus on securities in a particular sector, category, or group of companies may cause the Fund to underperform relevant benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective.
  • Common Stock risk. Common stock represents an ownership position in a company. An adverse event may have a negative impact on a company and could result in a decline in the price of its common stock. Common stock is generally subordinate to an issuer's other securities, including preferred, convertible, and debt securities.
  • Foreign Country risk. Foreign companies may be subject to greater risk as foreign economies may not be as strong or diversified, foreign political systems may not be as stable, and foreign financial reporting standards may not be as rigorous as they are in the United States.
  • Emerging Market risk. The Fund invests in emerging or developing markets. Securities of issuers in emerging and developing markets may offer special investment opportunities, but present risks not found in more mature markets.
  • Foreign Currency risk. Securities issued by foreign companies are frequently denominated in foreign currencies. The change in value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a change in the U.S. dollar value of securities denominated in that foreign currency.
  • Trading Markets and Depositary Receipts risk. Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, including American, European and Global Depositary Receipts. Although depositary receipts have risks similar to the securities that they represent, they may also involve higher expenses and may trade at a discount (or premium) to the underlying security. In addition, depositary receipts may not pass through voting and other shareholder rights, and may be less liquid than the underlying securities listed on an exchange.
  • Under $10 Billion Market Capitalization risk. Small- and mid-size companies typically have more limited product lines, markets and financial resources than larger companies, and their securities may trade less frequently and in more limited volume than those of larger, more mature companies.
  • Focused Portfolio Fund risk. Funds that invest in a limited number of companies may have more risk because changes in the value of a single security may have a more significant effect, either negative or positive, on the value of the fund's total portfolio.
  • Headline risk. The Fund may invest in a company when the company becomes the center of controversy after receiving adverse media attention concerning its operations, long-term prospects, or management or for other reasons. While Davis Advisors researches companies subject to such contingencies, it cannot be correct every time, and the company's stock may never recover or may become worthless.
  • Fees and Expenses risk. The Fund may not earn enough through income and capital appreciation to offset the operating expenses of the Fund. All mutual funds incur operating fees and expenses. Fees and expenses reduce the return which a shareholder may earn by investing in a fund, even when a fund has favorable performance. A low return environment, or a bear market, increases the risk that a shareholder may lose money.
Your investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person.
May Lose Money rr_RiskLoseMoney Your investment is not guaranteed and you may lose money.
Not Insured Depository Institution rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Your investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person.
Bar Chart and Performance Table, Heading rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Results
Performance, Information Illustrates Variability of Returns rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart below provides some indication of the risks of investing in Davis Research Fund by showing how the Fund's investment results have varied from year to year.
Performance, Availability by Phone rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-279-0279
Performance, Availability at Web Site Address rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.davisfunds.com
Performance, Past Does Not Indicate Future rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart, Heading rr_BarChartHeading Calendar year total returns for Class A shares (Results do not include a sales charge; if a sales charge were included, results would be lower.)
Bar Chart, Narrative rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart below provides some indication of the risks of investing in Davis Research Fund by showing how the Fund's investment results have varied from year to year. The following table shows how the Fund's average annual total returns for the periods indicated compare with those of the S&P 500(R) Index, a broad-based securities market index. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated information on the Fund's results can be obtained by visiting www.davisfunds.com or by calling 1-800-279-0279.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement accounts.

Bar Chart, Does Not Reflect Sales Loads rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads Results do not include a sales charge. If a sales charge were included, results would be lower.
Performance Table: rr_PerformanceTableHeading Davis Research Fund Average Annual Total Returns
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads (With Maximum Sales Charges)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table Narrative rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock for the periods ended December 31, 2010 (with maximum sales charge)
Davis Research Fund | S&P500® Index - reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.06%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.29%
Lifetime rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.89%
Davis Research Fund | Class A shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price.) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice 4.75%
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions (as a percentage of the lesser of the net asset value of the shares redeemed or the total cost of such shares. Only applies to Class A shares if you buy shares valued at $1 million or more without a sales charge and sell the shares within one year of purchase.) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 0.50%
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of total redemption proceeds.) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.55%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.27%
Total Annual Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.82%
With Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 555
With Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 724
With Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 908
With Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,440
No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 555
No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 724
No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 908
No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 1,440
2002 rr_AnnualReturn2002 (14.37%)
2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 29.52%
2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 16.65%
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 11.64%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 14.33%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 4.18%
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (42.61%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 38.18%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 11.09%
Bar Chart, Closing rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Highest/Lowest quarterly results during this time period were:

Highest 16.62% for the quarter ended June 30, 2009

Lowest (24.57%) for the quarter ended December 31, 2008

Total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 (not annualized) was (10.49%).

Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Sep. 30, 2011
Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn (10.49%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Highest quarter
Highest Quarterly Return Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 16.62%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Lowest quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (24.57%)
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.82%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (0.01%)
Lifetime rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.24%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Oct. 31, 2001
Davis Research Fund | Class A shares | return after taxes on distributions
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.65%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (0.45%)
Lifetime rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.76%
Davis Research Fund | Class A shares | return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Past 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.02%
Past 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (0.02%)
Lifetime rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.63%