SENDAK, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are.

(New York, NY): Harper & Row, 1963.  First edition.  Hardcover.  23.5cm by 26cm.  Unpaginated.  The first printing of what is widely regarded as a turning point in American picture book publishing. In just 338 words and a series of expanding, immersive illustrations, Sendak introduced a new kind of storytelling—one that embraced the emotional complexity of childhood. The book follows Max, a boy sent to his room for misbehaving, who escapes into a world of wild creatures and returns, not chastened, but changed. Breaking away from the moralizing tone of earlier children’s literature, Wild Things gave shape to children’s inner lives—anger, rebellion, loneliness—without condescension or resolution through punishment. Its groundbreaking visual design, with illustrations that grow to fill the page as Max’s fantasy intensifies, created a seamless blend of word and image. Sendak’s art, influenced by comic strips, classical engraving, and dream imagery, helped elevate the picture book to a serious artistic form. Winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal, the book was controversial upon release for its raw emotional content and dark imagery, yet it quickly became a classic and has remained in print continuously. Today it is celebrated not only as a cornerstone of modern children’s literature, but as a bold artistic statement that forever changed how we write—and read—for children. This is a very good copy, in the first issue dust jacket (conforming to all issue points), jacket has some ruffling / creasing to top and bottom edges.  Still a nice presentable copy on this much loved classic.