I THOUGHT OF YOU

Mostel, Zero (1915–1977)

Autograph Postcard Signed to Ben Raeburn from Zero Mostel from Kyoto, Japan [Association Item] [Personal Correspondence]

'I SAW A SHOP LOADED WITH FOUNTAIN PENS. I THOUGHT OF YOU.'
A warm and highly personal autograph postcard from actor, artist, and cultural icon Zero Mostel to Horizon Press founder Ben Raeburn. Written while traveling in Kyoto, Japan, the card provides direct evidence of the friendship between the two men and offers a rare glimpse into the informal personal relationships that existed behind New York's mid-century literary and publishing world.

Unlike formal presentation inscriptions or professional correspondence, the postcard captures an unguarded moment of genuine affection. Mostel recounts discovering a shop filled with fountain pens, immediately thinking of Raeburn, purchasing one for him, and joking about spending two hours practicing the Palmer Method before writing. The note closes with greetings to Pearl Raeburn and a characteristically humorous observation regarding a mutual acquaintance in Tokyo.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Original color picture postcard depicting the Hotel Miyako, Kyoto, Japan. Approximately 5.5 by 3.5 inches. Addressed in Mostel's hand to Ben Raeburn at 150 Fifth Avenue, New York City. Japanese postage stamp and postal cancellation present. Signed 'Love from, Zero.'

CONDITION: Minor handling wear and age-related toning. Postal markings clear. Handwriting dark and fully legible. Signed by Zero Mostel.

SCARCITY NOTE: Personal correspondence from Zero Mostel is encountered far less frequently than signed books, photographs, or theatrical material. Association correspondence linking Mostel directly to publisher Ben Raeburn appears particularly uncommon.
Transcription Available

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Zero Mostel remains one of the defining performers of twentieth-century American stage and screen, remembered for Fiddler on the Roof, The Producers, and his role as a prominent figure within New York's artistic community. This postcard preserves a personal connection between Mostel and independent publisher Ben Raeburn, founder of Horizon Press and a central figure in postwar literary publishing.

The significance of this postcard lies not in its Japanese origin but in the relationship it documents. Mostel's note reads as one friend writing another while abroad, with no apparent expectation that the message would ever be preserved. The fountain-pen anecdote is especially revealing, demonstrating that Raeburn's interests were sufficiently well known that Mostel immediately associated him with a display of writing instruments encountered halfway around the world.

The card also illustrates the social and cultural networks surrounding Horizon Press during its most active years. Raeburn's surviving correspondence frequently reveals connections among writers, artists, actors, publishers, and intellectuals; this postcard provides unusually direct evidence of that circle operating on a personal rather than professional level.

Particularly appealing is the closing signature, 'Love from, Zero,' which transforms the item from a routine travel postcard into a tangible record of friendship.

SUBJECTS: Zero Mostel, Ben Raeburn, Horizon Press, American Theatre, Literary Friendships, Publishing Networks, Kyoto Japan, Autograph Postcards, New York Cultural History. Autograph Material, Association Copy Material, Performing Arts, Literary History, Publishing History

Item #22085

Price: $275.00