[SENDAK, Maurice]. The New York Times Magazine, October 12, 1980. 4to, 140pp. Color photographic paper wrappers. Color and b&w illustrations and photographs throughout. Light wear to spine ends and corners, pages aged, else a fine copy.

First and only edition. A copy of The New York Times Magazine from October 12^th 1980, featuring a cover story titled “The Playful Art of Maurice Sendak” with a cover featuring a picture of the artist posed in front of scenery he designed. The period from fall of 1980 to the spring of 1981 was a particularly busy period in the career of this celebrated Caldecott Medalist. Four separate theater and opera productions related to his work were produced during this period, including the wildly successful Houston Grand Opera run of The Magic Flute, as well as the publication of his Caldecott Honor winning book Outside Over There in the spring of 1981, and the release of the retrospective The Art of Maurice Sendak in November of 1980. The article spans 14 pages of the magazine and touches on a variety of aspects of Sendak’s work including his transition into working on more theater related artwork as well as the critical reception to some of his previous picture books. A fascinating glimpse into the life of this giant of children’s books during one of his most productive periods of his stellar career and featuring wonderful photographs of Sendak at work, as well as images of some of the intricate theater pieces he was creating during this period.