Books

Later edition, inscribed by the author on the half-title, "To Fiona - hello! Maurice Sendak, Nov. 77" together with sketch of the head of Moische. This copy is also inscribed by Justin G. Schiller, a book dealer, scholar, and friend of Sendak, on the verso of the front free endpaper, "For Fiona - with holiday greetings and regrets that you missed our season's first snowfall (today)! Justin. 29 November 1977". Criticized at the time of publication for its dark elements, Where the Wild Things Are was soon acclaimed as a triumph of children's storytelling and book design. It remains a classic of 20th-century children's literature and was adapted into a film in 2009. Oblong quarto. Original cloth-backed pictorial paper boards, front cover lettered in black. With dust jacket including Caldecott Medal sticker. Colour illustrations throughout by Sendak. Minor foxing to covers, slight wear to one corner, toned and slightly soiled jacket worn at extremities with some tears, minor damp stain to spine, unclipped; a near-fine copy in a very good jacket. Cf. Grolier Children's 100, 97; cf. Hanrahan A58.

Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several times, including an animated short in 1973 (with an updated version in 1988), a 1980 opera, and a live-action 2009 feature-film adaptation. The book tells the story of Max, a young boy who dresses up as a wolf and uses his imagination to travel to a wild forest where he meets creatures called Wild Things.