SENDAK, Maurice.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Photograph inscribed to his UK publishers, The Bodley Head. A relaxed photograph of Sendak, gently holding a baby rabbit in his cupped hands, inscribed in lower right corner, "To Bodley Head - with pleasure! Maurice Sendak. Febr. '76". There is a pencil note on reverse stating name of photographer, together with request "for M[aurice] S[endak] to sign for M[ax] R[einhardt]", then managing director of the publishing house.It was The Bodley Head that transformed the reputation of Sendak: "for several years Wild Things remained no more than an American picture book. It was only after Judy Taylor, The Bodley Head (London), overcame colleagues' fears regarding the reception of the monsters that a British edition was issued in 1967... and it was thus that Max conquered the world" (One Hundred Books Famous in Children's Literature).Max Reinhardt (1915-2002) bought The Bodley Head in 1957 and would publish work by Graham Greene, George Bernard Shaw, and Muriel Spark. During his time at the company, The Bodley Head developed an outstanding list of children's books, including work by Sendak. Judy Taylor was the Children's Books Editor for over 15 years and, when Sendak suffered a heart attack during a publicity tour for Where the Wild Things Are, she was responsible for getting immediate medical aid. Sendak used to claim that Taylor had saved his life. A stuffed toy mouse that Taylor gave Sendak during his hospitalization became a cherished possession of Sendak's, and he requested that

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