Brendan Gill's Here at The New Yorker was published in 1975 to celebrate the magazine's fiftieth anniversary. It served as my introduction to The New Yorker's rich history. Aside from the many artistic, literary, and corporate characters we learn about, there is Daniel H. Silberberg, whom Gill describes as "an advisor to both the editorial and business sides of the magazine." In a discussion of his work during the years under Harold Ross's editorial leadership, Silberberg is depicted in a portrait by the painter Everett Raymond Kinstler.
On February 10, 1975, Gill inscribed a copy of the newly-published book to Kinstler and his wife Lea. It turned up on AbeBooks last month in a listing from Dave's Books of Brooklyn. It was illustrated only by a stock photo. This photo shows the wonderful dust jacket by Charles Addams, but the actual book that was offered for sale had lost this dust cover some time over the past half century. Of course, the endpaper still has the inscription from Gill and, priced at only $10.44, the volume was a piece of New Yorker history I felt I should buy—even sight unseen—in this, the magazine's centennial year.
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Brendan Gill
AbeBooks listing accessed September 21, 2025
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Brendan Gill
AbeBooks item description |
Gill's inscription has been discolored, probably from his 1997 Times obituary being stored directly against it.
Kinstler's painting is reproduced on page 191.
Gill's stated concern that the picture credits treat Kinstler's portrait as if it were "a mere photograph" seems a little overblown to me:
Gill's obituary from the Times came loosely folded into the book:
Also found in the book is this short promotional biography of the artist with his portrait of John Wayne.
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