Sendak’s Death Spurs Interest in His Works
- By Susan Halas
Cover from Art of Maurice Sendak 1980 shows Wild Things.
Not many creators of books for children get a front page obituary in the New York Times; but then there aren’t many who could match Maurice Sendak, the multi-talented illustrator and writer, who died on May 8, 2012 at the age of 83.
Sendak is best remembered as the creator of the monster-like creatures who populated the pages of “Where the Wild Things Are.” The book, published by Harper & Row in 1963, won a Caldecott medal in 1964. Its first printing was reportedly 25,000 copies.
Since then it’s been continuously in print, in hard cover, paperback and library editions, in English and many other languages. There was also a special edition commemorating its 25th anniversary. Approaching its 50th anniversary it's still going strong.
In retrospect it’s interesting to note that when Wild Things was first published concern was expressed that it was too rough and dangerous for young minds.
But no, though Max is a swashbuckler and the monsters are indeed scary with horns and claws, they are also loveable and with their own special cukoo-ness. Like the boomers themselves who marched and protested their way through the 60s (and went home to read Wild Things to their children at bedtime, not once but thousands of times), maybe, not as dangerous as all that.
Sendak – Popular and Can Be Pricey
Wild Things is popular and it can be pricey. In fact, few late 20th century books for young people have seen first edition values go up quite so steeply. An unsigned copy of the first edition, estimated at $2,000 to $3,000, brought $4,062.50 in a Heritage Auction in February of 2012 according to the AE Database.
If interest in Sendak was strong before his death, it has zoomed since then, as collectors renewed their interest not only in his books, but also toys, figurines, posters, puppets, movies. The market for ephemera, including promotional materials, calendars, Christmas cards and a variety of items signed by or with sketches by Sendak is also strong.
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Sendak’s Death Spurs Interest in His Works
- By Susan Halas
Joyce Hanrahan's bibliography covers Sendak through 2001.
Though no important Sendak collections have passed through the auction rooms in the last month, on eBay items purporting to be unusual signed or early Sendak got hundreds of hits and some solid closing prices.
Though there were many items that did not sell or did not make their asking price, here are a few examples of prices paid in recent days on eBay:
- $3,050 Framed print signed by Sendak with 16 bids
- $800 Wild Things early signed with sketch on title page no dust jacket
- $710 Signed color silk screen
- $600 Self portrait with Mickey Mouse signed
- $600 Wild Things 25th Anniversary edition signed with a small sketch.
- $450 Art of Maurice Sendak, first edition inscribed and signed
- A somewhat later, somewhat lesser copy of the same book, signed inscribed got 223 hits, 16 bids and went for $150.
To be sure, there were some obvious clunkers in the mix. As with every topic that catches the public’s fancy there are people who are misguided or mistaken in their offerings. It’s easy to find examples of books represented as firsts which clearly aren’t and signatures on dubious book plates that don’t match known examples of his handwriting; but that’s what a feeding frenzy is all about. It’s a jungle out there, so buyer beware.
Joyce Hanrahan is the Expert
One good way to avoid paying too much or being misled is to own a copy of Joyce Hanrahan’s excellent Sendak bibliography: Works of Maurice Sendak - Revised and Expanded to 2001.
This hard cover book contains 190 pages and a total of 640 plus listings. Detailed entries describe first appearances of the works written and/or illustrated by Sendak. It also lists ephemera, related books and articles, posters and lithographs. In short, it is an invaluable reference tool for booksellers, collectors and librarians.
Doubtless the collectors and dealers will turn first to the points for Wild Things, listed as item 58. There is no real short form for nailing the identifying marks other than to say that the proof is mostly on the dust jacket.
It should show the $3.50 price on the flap ($3.79 for the library edition).The jacket copy should lack any mention of the Caldecott award and there is no gold Caldecott seal on the front panel.
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Sendak’s Death Spurs Interest in His Works
- By Susan Halas
The Wild Things took NYC in this 1996 exhibit poster.
But don’t rely on second hand information; buy the book while you can. In fact if you’re a dealer buy a couple.
The bibliography is available from J&J Hanrahan, an ABAA affiliated book dealer based in Maine. Copies are $50 post paid via media mail to any US destination. She is willing to sign them on request at no additional charge. (Contact: hanrahan@maine.rr.com).
Hanrahan also has a stash of antiquarian Sendak material listed for sale. Her site www.jandjhanrahan.com lists 112 Sendak titles, most are in the $75 to $800 range with a few higher.
Even if you don’t buy the book, save that email address, because on request she will send a pdf of her 2008 catalog #60 listing over 190 items.
This is a beautiful piece of work covering the first 25 years of Sendak’s output. It is notable for the many clear photos of book covers, including Sendak’s high school yearbook and the dust jacket of his first illustrated book, Atomics for the Millions (1947).
Though not all of the items described are still available, it is still a useful and detailed reference.
Interest Strongest in Earlier Work
It would be unfair to say that the best Sendak is the early Sendak, but that’s where the interest of the marketplace seems to focus.
In addition to Wild Things, present taste seems to favor the Nutshell Library, Harper & Row 1962. The asking price on Hanrahan’s copy of this popular title in its original box with dust jackets for all four of the tiny volumes is $450.
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Sendak’s Death Spurs Interest in His Works
- By Susan Halas
The first book Sendak illustrated was Atomics for the Millions published in 1947.
Interest also appears to be growing in the early editions of the Little Bear books written by Else Holmelund Minarik with Sendak illustrations. These came out as part of popular I Can Read series. In fact, Little Bear was the first book in this influential series which began in 1957.
It is very difficult to find early editions of the Little Bear books with dust jackets. Most of what comes to market is in the truly shabby condition - the result of being read to pieces. At the moment it’s not that the early Little Bear books are expensive, just that they hardly ever show up in the pristine condition that appeals to collectors.
In addition to the Hanrahan bibliography, another essential reference title is the Art of Maurice Sendak by Selma Lanes published by Abrams in 1980. The first printing has a clear mylar wrap over unlettered color pictorial boards of the Wild Things. The mylar has white overprinting. The first edition also contains a Red Riding Hood pop-up on page 37. Later editions drop the mylar wrap and substitute a photo for the actual pop-up.
Not Everything Interesting Is Expensive
Though it’s easy to drop big bucks forming a Sendak collection from scratch, not everything is expensive.
The later works are abundant and inexpensive. His most recent title, a pop-up called Mommy, published in 2006, is still widely and easily available.
If you were in New York City during Christmas 1996 you could have picked up a free poster showing a Wild Thing storming Gotham. It was handout at the Sony exhibit. There are many other Sendak illustrated posters at reasonable prices.
Just a short time ago a signed first with a dust jacket of Higglety Pigglety Pop!(1967) went for $20 on eBay. Somebody got a deal.
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Sendak’s Death Spurs Interest in His Works
- By Susan Halas
The New Yorker ran a profile of Sendak by Nat Hentoff in 1966.
There’s also quite a bit of excellent reference material on line that is free. New Yorker subscribers can access the Jan 22, 1966 profile of Sendak by Nat Hentoff. archives.newyorker.com/?i=1966-01-22#folio=039
Or email me and I’ll send you a pdf of the Nov. 14, 1994 article: Maurice Sendak - A Bibliographical Odyssey by Christian Esquevin that appeared in the Antiquarian Bookman. wailukusue@gmail.com. Put SENDAK AB in the subject line
Other Links of Interest:
Maurice Sendak - NY Times obituary page 1, May 9, 2012
www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/books/maurice-sendak-childrens-author-dies-at-83.html?pagewanted=all
Fresh Air-NPR- Read their May 8th tribute to Sendak and hear four different appearances by the author - illustrator that aired over the years.
www.npr.org/2012/05/08/152248901/fresh-air-remembers-author-maurice-sendak
Maurice Sendak Collection at the Rosenbach Museum and Library
www.rosenbach.org/learn/collections/maurice-sendak-collection
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Susan Halas is a contributor to AE Monthly. Reach her at: wailukusue@gmail.com
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