Maurice Sendak: A Celebration of the Artist and His Work

This retrospective catalog presents the artistic career of Maurice Sendak through essays, photographs, illustrations, and sketches spanning six decades of his work. The book was published to coincide with a 2013 exhibition at the Society of Illustrators in New York. The volume includes over 200 images showcasing Sendak's creative process and evolution as an illustrator, from early commercial work to his renowned children's books. Twelve essays by art historians and children's literature experts examine different aspects of Sendak's techniques, influences, and artistic development. Personal photographs, preliminary drawings, and rare archival materials provide context for Sendak's most recognized works like Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. The collection documents his experiences in theater design, animation, and commissioned illustration work. The book reveals Sendak's lifelong exploration of childhood imagination, fear, and wonder through his distinctive visual storytelling style. His integration of classical artistic influences with contemporary themes created a new vocabulary for children's illustration that continues to resonate.

Readers appreciate the book's high-quality reproductions of Sendak's artwork, including rarely-seen pieces and preliminary sketches. Many note how the essays provide context about Sendak's creative process and artistic influences. Multiple reviewers mention the book's large format allows detailed viewing of the illustrations. Common criticisms include the limited coverage of Sendak's most famous works like "Where the Wild Things Are" in favor of his lesser-known projects. Some readers wanted more biographical details rather than just artistic analysis. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.41/5 (34 ratings) Amazon: 4.8/5 (31 ratings) "The reproductions are crisp and the paper quality is excellent," writes one Amazon reviewer. Another notes "This focuses more on his commercial work and theater designs than his children's books." A Goodreads reviewer praises the "fascinating look at his early commercial work" but wishes "there was more about the development of his children's book characters."

The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation by Charles Solomon This book documents the creative process and artistic evolution of Charles Schulz's characters through rare production materials, original animation cels, and interviews with animators.

The Art of Eric Carle by Eric Carle, Leonard S. Marcus The book reveals Carle's artistic techniques, personal stories, and archive materials that illuminate the development of his picture book illustrations.

Walt Disney's Nine Old Men: The Flipbooks by Pete Docter This collection presents the work of Disney's core animators through reproductions of their original drawings, sketches, and animation sequences.

The Art of Make-Believe: Victorian American Children's Book Illustration by Susan E. Meyer The volume examines illustrations from the golden age of children's literature through period artifacts, original artwork, and publishing history.

Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books by Leonard Marcus This compilation presents original illustrations and production materials from the Little Golden Books archive, showing the evolution of children's book art from 1942 onward.

🎨 Maurice Sendak originally wanted to be an illustrator for Walt Disney but was rejected when he applied after high school 📚 The book features more than 200 previously unpublished sketches, storyboards, and paintings from Sendak's personal archives 🎭 Sendak designed sets and costumes for several major opera productions, including Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and Prokofiev's "Love for Three Oranges" ✍️ Leonard S. Marcus, the book's author, is one of the world's leading authorities on children's literature and has written over 25 books on the subject 🌟 The book was published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Society of Illustrators in New York, celebrating Sendak's 85th birthday in 2013