Maurice Sendak: Max Arriving at the Island of the Wild Things

Max has arrived! Maurice Sendak's original two-page illustration of Max in his sailboat arriving at the island of the Wild Things is by far the most important work of this artist ever to appear at auction. This is first illustration Sendak made for Where the Wild Things Are (1963) and the first ever to be sold. The remaining illustrations are unlikely ever to be released to the market.

Prior to the sale, online bidders brought the hammer price up to $130,000, or $162,500 with the buyer's premium. The most spirited bidding would have to wait for the live auction.

Maurice Sendak
Heritage Auctions listing of May 16, 2025

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/paintings/maurice-sendak-american-1928-2012-max-arriving-at-the-island-of-wild-things-where-the-wild-things-are-first-drawing/a/8200-68021.s?ic2=mytracked-lotspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyTrackedLots-101116#

Maurice Sendak
Heritage Auctions item description

Maurice Sendak
Heritage Auctions condition report

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Maurice Sendak's Hillbilly Wild Thing

I'm not surprised to learn that children's book illustrator Maurice Sendak commemorated his 1997 visit to the University of Charleston in West Virginia by publishing a signed, limited edition photolithograph, but I am a bit surprised he chose to call it "Hillbilly Wild Thing." Nevertheless, it's a strong image of a character from his most memorable book, and the regional hat looks handsome enough, if perhaps out of place.

Maurice Sendak
AbeBooks listing accessed January 1, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/HILLBILLY-WILD-THING-Sendak-Maurice-Parchment/31065892116/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=viewbook

After the print edition was completed, the original drawing was colored by the artist. It was offered for sale at Heritage in 2003 with a $15,000 reserve. It went unsold.

Maurice Sendak
Heritage Auctions

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-illustration-art/mainstream-illustration/maurice-bernard-sendak-original-illustration-1997-titled-hillbilly-wild-thingmaurice-sendak-is-considered-the/a/808-2376.s

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Stephen and Aviva's Copy of Maurice Sendak's What Can You Do With a Shoe?

Stephen Kroninger writes with images of his family copy of Beatrice Shenk de Regniers's What Can You Do With a Shoe? The book, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, was published in 1955 and was reissued in 1997. Sendak signed it at a private book launch party held at Simon and Schuster. Sendak misspelled the name of Stephen's wife and covered up the mistake by camouflaging it in the hair of a wild thing drawn on the spot. He then got the spelling right on the second attempt. A happy accident, I'd say.

Photo by Stephen Kroninger

Photo by Stephen Kroninger

Photo by Stephen Kroninger

Note:  Thanks to Stephen Kroninger for sharing his book with us. This is Stephen's 35th contribution to Attempted Bloggery.

Books with original sketches by Maurice Sendak are welcome here, even if he made a mistake.

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Maurice Sendak: Moishe by Moonlight

We are plausibly told that the second state of Maurice Sendak's 1980 etching Moishe by Moonlight is a rarity, but that doesn't quite tell us how many prints of this image were actually pulled. It's an atmospheric etching of a Wild Thing that would look splendid on any wall. Some of us who admire it though might find the $60,000 price tag to be somewhat prohibitive. 

Maurice Sendak
Moishe by Moonlight
Etching, Second State, 1980

Maurice Sendak

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?cm_sp=SearchF-_-topnav-_-Results&kn=Moishe%20by%20Moonlight&sts=t

I believe I saw this impressive piece on display at the Society of Illustrators in November but I was not up to the challenge of photographing it through reflective glass.

Maurice Sendak
Moishe by Moonlight
Etching, Second State, 1980
The Society of Illustrators
November 6, 2020

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Maurice Sendak: Thanks for the Brownies!

What sort of food should one offer an illustrator? Let's take a look at the case for brownies. Exhibit A is a souvenir sketch by Maurice Sendak of a Wild Thing inscribed with the artist's thanks. It appeared in a listing on AbeBooks in 2016 and has subsequently been sold.

Maurice Sendak
AbeBooks Listing Retrieved December 6, 2016

https://www.abebooks.com/MAURICE-SENDAK-FRAMED-ORIGINAL-ART-PEN/20364796336/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=readmore

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Maurice Sendak: Wild Things are Happening

Maurice Sendak puts his iconic Wild Things to work in a 1997 advertising campaign for Bell Atlantic. This campaign  marks the first instance in which Sendak permits his characters from Where the Wild Things Are (1963) to appear in commercial advertising. While some of the ads in the campaign promote internet safety for children, this one is primarily about service and connectivity. Nevertheless, the illustration makes it clear that the campaign will be concerned with the experience of children on the internet.

You first.
Maurice Sendak, Wild Things Are Happening, Bell Atlantic
The New Yorker, December 15, 1997, pages 136-137

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1997-12-15#folio=136

Note:  Original artwork from this advertising campaign was featured on this blog before.

The archives have many other posts about Maurice Sendak.

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Maurice Sendak: Some Swell Tree!

Illustrator Maurice Sendak created a painting of a Wild Thing decorated as a Christmas tree for the cover of the December 30, 1976 issue of Rolling Stone. Four years later, The Art of Maurice Sendak was published and the Rolling Stone design was reworked into a poster promoting the book with new text in the word balloons. "Some swell tree!" became "Some swell book!" A signed and inscribed copy of the beautiful poster was sold in October on eBay for a best offer somewhere under $350.

Maurice Sendak, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dec30-1976-ROLLING-STONE-Magazine-229-MAURICE-SENDAK-10-pge-story-ILLUSTRATED-/121126432851?pt=Magazines&hash=item1c33b2b053

Maurice Sendak, The Art of Maurice Sendak poster, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1980
Inscribed "To Freddie--/Maurice Sendak/1980"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Maurice-Sendak-Book-Poster-The-Art-of-Maurice-Sendak-/271291278656?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item3f2a386540&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Maurice Sendak, The Art of Maurice Sendak poster detail, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1980
Inscribed "To Freddie--/Maurice Sendak/1980"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Maurice-Sendak-Book-Poster-The-Art-of-Maurice-Sendak-/271291278656?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item3f2a386540&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Maurice-Sendak-Book-Poster-The-Art-of-Maurice-Sendak-/271291278656?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item3f2a386540&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Maurice Sendak, The Art of Maurice Sendak poster, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1980
Inscribed "To Freddie--/Maurice Sendak/1980"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Maurice-Sendak-Book-Poster-The-Art-of-Maurice-Sendak-/271291278656?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item3f2a386540&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Maurice Sendak, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dec30-1976-ROLLING-STONE-Magazine-229-MAURICE-SENDAK-10-pge-story-ILLUSTRATED-/121126432851?pt=Magazines&hash=item1c33b2b053

Maurice Sendak, [The Wild Rumpus,] "Maurice Sendak, King of All Wild Things," article by Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLLING-STONE-MAURICE-SENDAK-KING-OF-WILD-THINGS-Feature-Cover-Art-1976-FN-/161168255223?pt=Magazines&hash=item25866068f7

"Maurice Sendak, King of All Wild Things," article by Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dec30-1976-ROLLING-STONE-Magazine-229-MAURICE-SENDAK-10-pge-story-ILLUSTRATED-/121126432851?pt=Magazines&hash=item1c33b2b053

"Maurice Sendak, King of All Wild Things," article by Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLLING-STONE-MAURICE-SENDAK-KING-OF-WILD-THINGS-Feature-Cover-Art-1976-FN-/161168255223?pt=Magazines&hash=item25866068f7

Maurice Sendak, Fantasy Sketch, "Maurice Sendak, King of All Wild Things," article by Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dec30-1976-ROLLING-STONE-Magazine-229-MAURICE-SENDAK-10-pge-story-ILLUSTRATED-/121126432851?pt=Magazines&hash=item1c33b2b053

"Maurice Sendak, King of All Wild Things," article by Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLLING-STONE-MAURICE-SENDAK-KING-OF-WILD-THINGS-Feature-Cover-Art-1976-FN-/161168255223?pt=Magazines&hash=item25866068f7

"Maurice Sendak, King of All Wild Things," article by Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLLING-STONE-MAURICE-SENDAK-KING-OF-WILD-THINGS-Feature-Cover-Art-1976-FN-/161168255223?pt=Magazines&hash=item25866068f7

"Maurice Sendak, King of All Wild Things," article by Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone, December 30, 1976

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLLING-STONE-MAURICE-SENDAK-KING-OF-WILD-THINGS-Feature-Cover-Art-1976-FN-/161168255223?pt=Magazines&hash=item25866068f7

Note:  More blog posts featuring the art of Maurice Sendak including some Wild Things are here.

The Rosenbach Museum and Library houses the extraordinary Maurice Sendak Collection.

'Tis the season for more Christmas posts from the archives of Attempted Bloggery. See them here.

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Maurice Sendak Poster Art for Jewish Book Month 1985

In 1985, the acclaimed book illustrator Maurice Sendak designed a poster for Jewish Book Month, a celebration organized by the Jewish Book Council. The trio of delighted readers are a boy, a girl, and a Wild Thing named Bernard. The lettering on the book was apparently not executed by Mr. Sendak. The book bears lettering in Hebrew and English and reads Sefer Sholem Aleichem, or Book of Sholem Aleichem (1859-1916).

Maurice Sendak, "To three possessions thou shouldst look,

Acquire a field, a friend, a book." --Mai Gaon

Original Artwork for Jewish Book Month Poster, 1985
Jewish Book Council

Illustration House, November 20, 2004 Auction, Lot 99
Estimate: $250,000-300,000

Maurice Sendak, "To three possessions thou shouldst look,

Acquire a field, a friend, a book." --Mai Gaon

Jewish Book Month Poster, November 7th to December 7th, 1985
Inscribed by Sendak to Stuart Wright
Poster offered at $750 from the Rio Verde Co.

No longer available as of March 17, 2014

 http://www.rioverdeco.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=532

September 5, 2013 Update:  Here is a better image of the published poster from Brain Pickings by Maria Popova.

Maurice Sendak, "To three possessions thou shouldst look,

Acquire a field, a friend, a book." --Mai Gaon

Poster for Jewish Book Month, November 7th to December 7th, 1985
Jewish Book Council

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/09/03/maurice-sendak-posters-reading-books/

Note:  I don't know at what price this original art sold, so if anyone out there has the prices realized from this sale, feel free to chime in.

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Wild About F. A. O. Schwarz

This superb preliminary pencil study on vellum by the late Maurice Sendak for the 1988 F. A. O. Schwarz catalogue was offered for sale at Illustration House on June 25, 2011. It depicts the head of a Wild Thing. It did not find a buyer.

Maurice Sendak

Preliminary pencil art for F. A. O. Schwarz 1988 Catalogue Cover

Illustration House. Unsold.

Maurice Sendak
Preliminary pencil art for F. A. O. Schwarz 1988 catalogue cover, Illustration House Auction Listing. Unsold.

Image added November 10, 2011

http://www.illustration-house.com/exhib/a43/a43pages/a43_057.html

Maurice Sendak
F. A. O. Schwarz The Ultimate Toy Catalogue 1988

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3376028be0&item=221023210464&nma=true&pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&rt=nc&si=Zv4PhLp6HocGRC23iqci2JeQ2LI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1413

Maurice Sendak
F. A. O. Schwarz The Ultimate Toy Catalogue 1988

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3376028be0&item=221023210464&nma=true&pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&rt=nc&si=Zv4PhLp6HocGRC23iqci2JeQ2LI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1413

November 11, 2012 Update:  The preliminary pencil art is now being offered at Bonhams New York in December, this time with a much lower reserve of $3,000 to $5,000.

Maurice Sendak
Preliminary Pencil Art for F. A. O. Schwarz 1988 Catalogue Cover

Image added November 13, 2012

Maurice Sendak
Preliminary pencil art for F. A. O. Schwarz 1988 catalogue cover, Bonhams Auction Listing.

Image added November 11, 2012

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20078/lot/2166/

October 29, 2013 Update:

June 25, 2017 Update: The finished artwork was also used for the cover of Sendak in Asia (1996).

Maurice Sendak
Sendak in Asia, Kingston, NY:  Battledore Ltd, 1996

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=12529540721&searchurl=kn%3DSendak%2BPoster%26sortby%3D17

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