Encounters: My Life in Publishing

At the age of 98, legendary publisher Braziller looks back on the stories, people, and books that matter most to him. His brief memoir begins with his birth in Brooklyn in 1916, where he was raised with Yiddish as his first language. After working as a salesman and a shipping clerk, Braziller launched his first publishing business during the 1930s: the Book Find Club. He later sold the book club to Time-Life and, in 1955, founded the self-titled publishing firm that would bring him into contact with many of the great artists and writers of the 20th century. Braziller recalls time spent with Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall, among others. He mixes in stories about his many travels, his most beloved publishing projects, and the colleagues he depended on over the years. Perhaps his best stories are not those about publishing, but about his Army service in France during WWII. Throughout the many short chapters, Braziller doesn’t tell his story in a strictly linear fashion, but jumps from tale to tale as it suits him. This sweet and nostalgic chronicle was obviously a labor of love for Braziller and it represents a bygone era in publishing that’s worth revisiting. 49 illus. (July)