FOUND INSIDE BEN RAEBURN'S COPY

Holst, Spencer (1926–2001) ; Author | Wheeler, Beate (b. 1940) ; Artist

Sixteen Drawing & Something to Read to Someone [Signed Limited Edition of 43 Copy from the Horizon Press Estate]

The premier deluxe state of this magnificent avant-garde collaboration, being one of only 43 copies signed by both Spencer Holst and Beate Wheeler from a total first printing of 2000 with laid-in ephemera. 

Originating from the private library of Horizon Press publisher Ben Raeburn and contains substantial laid-in ephemera, including two typed, unpublished story fragments by Holst and a beautifully printed Valentine’s Day reading invitation. The volume represents a critical high-water mark for the Hudson Valley experimental printing movement, seamlessly blending Holst’s minimalist magical realism with Wheeler’s dense, abstract, and dreamlike ink compositions.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Illustrated with 16 intricate, full-page black-and-white abstract ink drawings by Beate Wheeler, featuring her signature dense, textured linework.
+++ Binding: Stapled glossy card-stock wrappers with brown spine design and clean face-printing. 
+++ Content: A collection of Holst’s brief, poetic, and succinct prose pieces arranged directly opposite Wheeler's provocative visual interpretations. 
+++ Imprint: Barrytown, NY: Station Hill Press, 1980. Limited First Edition. 
+++ Specs: 5.75 by 8.75 inches; unpaginated text block containing 16 plates and text facing.

LIMITATION & SIGNATURES: Special Edition Statement — This volume is from the ultra-limited deluxe issue of 43 copies. It features the bold, original ink signatures of both creators on the title page.
+++ Manuscript Annotation: The title page also bears a distinct, pencil inscription in another hand near the upper center margin, documenting the volume's provenance: 'Ben's copy from...'
+++ Laid-In Ephemera Transcription: Preserved within the leaves are three significant archival pieces.
Typed Story 1: A typed brief literary fragment on a single sheet titled Dream of the Bobbers by Holst. Text begins: 'The bobsled team were fat women, absolutely obese, over...'
Typed Story 2: A typed brief literary fragment on a single sheet titled The Chocolate Reptile by Holst. Text begins: 'The brown mushroom shaped like a doughnut swallowed the tiny green chameleon tail first, and the last of it to disappear was the...' (Both stories were later collected in The Zebra Storyteller, 1993).
The Alchemical Theatre Invitation: A stunning card designed by Beate Wheeler featuring dense border artwork, inviting the recipient to a joint reading by Spencer Holst and Judith Malina (of The Living Theatre) on Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14, 1987, at 539 East 13th Street.

PROVENANCE: From the private collection of Ben Raeburn, founder and publisher of Horizon Press, via the estate of his companion, Pat Percey.

CONDITION: Fine. The stapled glossy wrappers are tight, square, and completely unmarred. The internal pages are bright, and free of foxing, thumbing, or edge wear. Minimal shelf handling to the glossy surfaces; a pristine, gift-quality copy of an incredibly fragile small-press multiple.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE — 
Spencer Holst was celebrated as the 'wise jester of the vanguard' by The New York Times, winning the Rosenthal Award for his distinct brand of concise, magical realist storytelling. His collaborative partner and wife, Beate Wheeler, was an influential New York painter who studied under Abstract Expressionist mentors, bringing an intense graphic authority to small-press literature.

This copy carries profound institutional value due to its direct association with Ben Raeburn. As the publisher of Horizon Press, Raeburn was a tireless defender of complex, uncompromising artistic projects. The pencil notation 'Ben's copy' indicates this signed specimen was specifically earmarked or gifted to him within his immediate New York literary circle.

The inclusion of the pre-publication typed sheets for The Chocolate Reptile and Dream of the Bobbers turns this copy into a critical archive. It shows how Holst distributed and performed his succinct prose pieces in the downtown avant-garde theater scene over a decade before they achieved permanent form in his 1993 collected works.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Visual Artistry & Collaboration: Wheeler’s drawings merge crisp realism with elements of heavy, fluid abstraction, creating an intricate visual texture that echoes and grounds Holst's economic, dreamlike narratives.
+++ Fine Press Context: Documents the early zenith of Station Hill Press in Barrytown, a legendary publisher that championed the American linguistic vanguard and independent book design in the late 20th century.
+++ The Alchemical Connection: The laid-in 1987 reading card tracks the crossover between New York's independent literary scene and radical performance groups like Judith Malina's Living Theatre.

SUBJECTS: Spencer Holst, Beate Wheeler, Station Hill Press, Horizon Press, Ben Raeburn, The Living Theatre, Judith Malina, Artists' Books, Small Press Movement, Magical Realism, Association Copy, Limited Edition, Signed Edition, Ephemera, Art.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: For publication context on the text, see Holst's The Zebra Storyteller: Collected Stories (1993).

Item #20195

Price: $325.00