FROM ULYSSES TO HORIZON PRESS

Anderson, Margaret C. with Virgil Thomson [Association Letter - Horizon Press]

ARCHIVE: Three Volume Autobiography – Complete, Horizon Press [Feminism, 20th-century Modernist Literature] [The Publisher’s Own File Copies of the Modernist Autobiography Trilogy, Enhanced by Virgil Thomson’s Chelsea Hotel Correspondence]

New York: Horizon Press, 1970.
This definitive, three-volume autobiographical archive bridges the heroic age of 1920s Paris Modernism with its final, authorized 1970s retrospective, preserved directly within the estate of the publisher who kept that flame alive. 

Margaret Anderson (1886–1973) was the firebrand of American Modernism. By founding The Little Review, she provided a fearless platform for Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and James Joyce—famously serializing Ulysses and enduring the subsequent federal obscenity trials when no other publisher dared.

This Horizon Press set, issued at the twilight of her life, was the final authorized presentation of her legacy. Its presence in this archive goes far beyond a standard commercial run; it represents the personal copies of her friend and publisher, Ben Raeburn.

The incredible inclusion of an original, single-page typed letter signed by the legendary American composer Virgil Thomson (1896–1989)—sent from his famous quarters at the Chelsea Hotel on October 31, 1983—perfectly completes the historical circle. Thomson writes directly to Raeburn to celebrate these exact Horizon Press volumes, explaining that his original first editions had vanished from his shelves over the decades due to unreturned book loans. He warmly welcomes these editions as joyful replacements, providing a poignant, real-time testament to how the surviving titans of the Left Bank used Raeburn’s press to reclaim the physical history of their youth.

MATERIAL & BIBLIOGRAPHICAL UTILITY —
The 'What': A pristine, complete three-volume set of Margaret Anderson’s autobiographical trilogy (My Thirty Years' War, The Fiery Fountains, and The Strange Necessity), complete in the original publisher's slipcase and accompanied by an exceptional piece of associated institutional ephemera and correspondence.
Technical Standards: Published by Horizon Press in 1970, the volumes are bound in high-quality quarter cloth over colored boards (vibrant yellow, red, and blue) with elegant gilt stamping on the spines. The set is housed in the original heavy brown cardboard slipcase, which features a large, beautifully preserved pictorial paste-down label on the side panel. The interior pages are richly illustrated with historic photographs by premier avant-garde photographers, including Berenice Abbott and Man Ray.
The accompanying material includes the original 1983 Virgil Thomson typed letter on his custom 222 West 23rd Street letterhead, the original four-page New York Times Book Review synopsis of the set, and the original 1973 New York Times obituary for Margaret Anderson, which was preserved inside the first volume by Raeburn himself.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES: DESIGN, SCHOLARSHIP, & INFLUENCE —
The 'How': This archive serves as a foundational text for research into 20th-century literature, feminist history, and LGBTQ+ studies. The trilogy documents the complete narrative of the Left Bank creative explosion, tracking Anderson’s close personal and professional relationships with iconic women of the era, including her co-editor Jane Heap and her long-term partner Georgette Leblanc.
The Lineage: The inclusion of the 1983 Thomson letter elevates the collection from an excellent provenance set into a dynamic bibliographical case study. It physically demonstrates the active network of old friendships that Raeburn maintained, showing how Horizon Press served as an archival anchor for the creators of early American modernism.

SPECIFICATIONS & CONDITION 
+++ Author: Margaret C. Anderson 
+++ Title: Three Volume Autobiography (My Thirty Years' War, The Fiery Fountains, The Strange Necessity) 
+++ Publisher: Horizon Press, New York 
+++ Date: 1970 (Trilogy) / October 31, 1983 (Associated Letter) 
+++ Dimensions: 9.5 inches tall 
+++ Subject: Modernist Literature | Feminism | LGBTQ+ History | Book History

CONDITION
+++ The Books: Fine. The volumes are exceptionally crisp, tight, and unread. The dust jackets show expected, uniform spine darkening typical of this paper stock but remain completely intact and are now protected in archival Mylar sleeves. Volume 1 shows faint, localized offsetting on pages 20–21 entirely caused by the long-term placement of the newspaper obituary (which has now been removed and placed in a separate protective sleeve).
+++ The Slipcase: Near Fine. The structure is remarkably solid, clean, and free of structural splits, showing only minimal shelf wear and minor rubbing to the outer edges of the paste-on title label.
+++ The Letter: Fine. Cleanly folded along its original mailing crease, with no tears or age-toning, and featuring a dark, bold ink signature from Virgil Thomson.

KEY FEATURES OF THE TRILOGY —
+++ The Set: Includes all three volumes of Anderson's memoirs, covering the Modernist literary explosion, the Ulysses obscenity trial, and her life in Paris with Georgette Leblanc and Jane Heap.
+++ Subject Matter: A foundational text of Lesbian history, capturing the "Left Bank" creative explosion and the lives of its most iconic women.
+++ Provenance: From the library of Ben Raeburn (Horizon Press). Includes an original 1973 New York Times obituary for Margaret Anderson laid in (now in protective sleeve). And the four page NYT Book Review. These were his copies.
+++ Format: Three hardcovers in quarter cloth over colored boards (yellow, red, blue) with gilt stamping. Housed in the original brown slipcase with a large pictorial paste-down label.
+++ Visuals: Illustrated with photographs by Berenice Abbott, Man Ray, and others.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Margaret Anderson (1886-1973) was the firebrand of American Modernism. By founding The Little Review, she gave a platform to Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and James Joyce (serializing Ulysses when no one else dared). 

This Horizon Press set, published just years before her death, was the final 'authorized' presentation of her life's work, overseen by her friend and publisher Ben Raeburn. It is a cornerstone set for any collection of 20th-century literary history, feminism, or LGBTQ+ history.

SUBJECTS: 20th-Century American Literature, Modernism, Feminist History, Lesbian and LGBTQ+ Studies, Publishing Archives, Associated Correspondence.
KEYWORDS: Margaret Anderson, Little Review, Modernism, James Joyce, Ulysses, Feminism, LGBTQ History, Ben Raeburn, Horizon Press, Berenice Abbott, Jane Heap, Virgil Thomson, Chelsea Hotel, Literary Memoir.

Item #22047

Price: $525.00