THE STRAND TO HORIZON

Britton, Burt (1933–2018) ; Author [with Lurie, Morris (1938–2014)]

Self-Portrait: Book People Picture Individuals [Inscribed Association Copy with Original Doodle and Accompanying Archive Letter]

New York: Random House, 1976.
A DOODLE FOR BEN RAEBURN, A LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA, AND SIX HUNDRED AUTHORS IN BETWEEN
A museum-quality, multi-piece publishing archive lot anchoring the inner sanctum of the New York literary avant-garde. The centerpiece is a pristine copy of Burt Britton’s landmark compilation of authorial caricatures, Self-Portrait: Book People Picture Themselves, inscribed with an original ink doodle by Britton directly to Horizon Press founder Ben Raeburn. 

This physical monument is accompanied by a hilarious, unvarnished 1979 typewritten letter signed by Australian author Morris Lurie to Raeburn, tracking the critical reception of this exact volume. Together, the items provide an unprecedented, cross-continental look at the personal connections, dark humor, and creative collaborations that defined mid-century independent literary life.  

PHYSICAL DETAILS: Publisher's original oblong pictorial stiff wrappers. 9.5 x 6.25 inches; [14], 3–271, [1] pages. More than 600 self-portraits, caricatures, and author-contributed drawings. Signed and inscribed on the half-title page by Burt Britton and his wife: 'For Ben – With all our love Because you're Ben. Burt & Korby.' Accompanied by a large hand-drawn authorial caricature doodle executed beneath the inscription.
+++ Associated Material: Includes a 1979 typed letter from Morris Lurie, preserved in an archival sleeve and fully transcribed.

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS
+++ Landmark gathering of literary self-portraits and caricatures.
+++ Features contributions from Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Kurt Vonnegut, and hundreds of other twentieth-century authors.
+++ Compiled by Burt Britton at the height of his influence as a cultural curator and interviewer.
+++ Presents major literary figures in a rare personal and self-deprecating light.
+++ Enhanced by an original inscribed presentation, authorial doodle, and accompanying correspondence.

CONDITION: Near Fine in the publisher's original wrappers. The volume remains square and structurally sound with no spine creasing. Pages are crisp and free of markings. Covers remain bright and attractive with only trivial shelf handling and minimal rubbing. The accompanying Morris Lurie letter is evenly toned with standard mailing folds with beginning of splits at the folds. Overall Grade: Near Fine / Good.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Burt Britton was a singular, beloved character who anchored the New York literary marketplace from his basement counter at The Strand Bookstore. By systematically demanding that visiting authors sketch their own visages on basic sheets of paper, Britton compiled a visual census of twentieth-century American and international letters that remains entirely unmatched in its spontaneity and historical scope.
 
This specific association lot matters because it uncovers the direct corporate and personal ties required to transform Britton's casual counter collection into an enduring, commercially printed monograph. Ben Raeburn and Horizon Press were central to managing and shaping these collaborative New York ventures, making this specific copy—warmly inscribed by both Burt and his wife, Korby, with a characteristic authorial doodle—the definitive physical artifact of that partnership. 

The inclusion of the 1979 typewritten letter from Morris Lurie elevates the book into a living archive. Lurie’s frantic, humorous text, blending updates on his own books with queries about Britton's health and the volume's critical success, provides scholars with a rare glimpse into the global reach of Raeburn’s network and the deep personal affection shared across his publishing family. 

SCHOLARLY FEATURES —
+++ Socio-Historical Context: The archive captures a unique moment of democratic playfulness within the twentieth-century literary canon. Britton's request for illustrations stripped away the distant, unapproachable mystique of the author, while Lurie's sarcastic letter (are you allowed to dictate from inside the iron lung?) captures the raw, often irreverent personal relationships undergirding avant-garde publishing. 
+++ Literary Influence: The volume stands as an index of the New York literary golden age, displaying how a simple bookselling encounter at The Strand could expand into an international publishing project tracked by authors as far away as Australia. 
+++ Contextual Analysis: It functions as primary physical proof of Horizon Press's championing role, illustrating how Raeburn operated as a cultural clearinghouse—sending out copies of his titles (like the works of James Hanley mentioned by Lurie) to writers within his inner circle. 

SUBJECTS: Burt Britton, Ben Raeburn, Morris Lurie, The Strand Bookstore, Horizon Press, Literary Caricatures, New York Publishing History, 1970s Avant-Garde, Epistolary Archives, Association Copy, Original Manuscript Archive, Ephemera, Illustrated Books.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: For context on the author's adjacent publications, see: Hodgins, Morris Lurie: A Bibliography or standard checklists of Horizon Press backlists.

Item #22062

Price: $425.00