Abe Books This doodle-signature by New Journalism pioneer Gay Talese was signed not long after his bestselling dive into the world of a New York mafia family, Honor Thy Father , came out in 1971.

Below, I've curated a small selection of wonderful visual self-portraits by famous authors—from scribbles to full-on oil paintings, from cheeky one-offs to serious painterly studies.

The typewriter, unlike computers, is a highly personal device. Its usage is visceral, an analog synthesis of creative thought to paper, leaving a bit of the author's essence behind in the process ...