Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - 1963

VERY GOOD — BOARDS: Very good condition. Minor spotting to front. Crown and foot of spine and outside corners scuffed, tears to latter. Shelf rubbing to top and bottom edges. Minor touch-up to lower front by previous owner. Lower outside corner bumped, back. Slight bow to both boards. BOOK: Very good condition. Top of hinge starting at endpapers. Minor moisture staining top inside edge of title and facing page. Minor ink transfer smudges from illustrations to several facing pages. Slightly shaken binding. Please inspect photos closely for condition details. If unsure, please ask questions.

Here on offer is a nice copy of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, an illustrated story book that has been adapted into various other media and has sold over 19 million copies worldwide. This is a 1st American edition, probable 1st printing published by Harper & Row in 1963. The copy is without the dust jacket.

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"Maurice Sendak's Caldecott Medal-winning picture book has become one of the most highly acclaimed and best-loved children's books of all time. A must for every child's bookshelf.

This iconic story has inspired a movie, an opera, and the imagination of generations. When Max dresses in his wolf suit and causes havoc in the house, his mother sends him to bed. From there, Max sets sail to an island inhabited by the Wild Things, who name him king and share a wild rumpus with him. But then from far away across the world, Max smells good things to eat...

Mary Pols of Time magazine wrote that what makes Sendak's book so compelling is its grounding effect: Max has a tantrum and in a flight of fancy visits his wild side, but he is pulled back by a belief in parental love to a supper 'still hot. Generations have shared this beautiful picture book, and children of all ages will want to return to it again and again."

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"Maurice Bernard Sendak (. . . June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, first published in 1963. Born to Polish-Jewish parents, his childhood was affected by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust. Sendak also wrote works such as In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and illustrated many works by other authors including the Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik. . . .

Internationally, Sendak received the third biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration in 1970, recognizing his "lasting contribution to children's literature". He received one of two inaugural Astrid Lindgren Memorial Awards in 2003, recognizing his career contribution to "children's and young adult literature in the broadest sense". The citation called him "the modern picture-book's portal figure" and the presentation credited Where the Wild Things Are with "all at once [revolutionizing] the entire picture-book narrative ... thematically, aesthetically, and psychologically." In the U.S., he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the professional children's librarians in 1983, recognizing his "substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature". At the time it was awarded every three years. Only Sendak and the writer Katherine Paterson have won all three of these premier awards. . . . "

The above text was taken from, respectively, HarperCollins publishers (via Google Books) and Wikipedia.
[Where the Wild Things Are. Spain: HarperCollins, 2012.]

This handsome copy would be a worthy addendum to your 1st editions library.