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.