Where the Wild Things Are.

SENDAK, Maurice.

Item Number: 2690

New York: Harper & Row, 1988.

First edition of the 25th Anniversary edition of this classic. Oblong quarto, original color illustrated paper covered boards. Signed by Maurice Sendak on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket without the Caldecott medal sticker affixed to the front panel.

"Wild Things!' When Max's sojourn among them unfolded in kinematic splendor in 1963, adults trembled and children reveled. Reaching back into his own Brooklyn childhood, Sendak created the enduring child-hero Max, who overcomes his fears and achieves catharsis in a colorful fantasy tableau. The book was awarded the 1964 Caldecott Medal by the American Library Association" (NYPL Books of the Century 212). An animated short film based on the book, which had taken five years to complete, was released in 1973, directed by Gene Deitch and produced at Kratky Film, Prague, for Weston Woods Studios. Two versions were released: the original 1973 version, with narration by Allen Swift and a musique concrete score composed by Deitch himself; and an updated version in 1988 with new music and narration by Peter Schickele. In 1999, Isadar released a solo piano musical composition inspired by the Sendak book. On October 16, 2009, the live-action film version of the book was released. Directed by Spike Jonze, the cast of voices included legendary actors Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini and Catherine O’Hara.