Literary Lunch

The Strand bookstore in New York City was a favorite of Maurice Sendak and he often shopped there for both new and used books. In 1991, he created this fabulous promotional image for them. Bernard Wild Thing is licking his lips, preparing to devour a stack of books. The books (of course) reflect Sendak's own taste: Mozart, van Gogh, and Herman Melville. He also depicts a diorama promoting Sendak's major project in the early 1990s: The Night Kitchen, a National Children's Theater. See Schiller, Maurice Sendak: A Celebration of His Life and Work, p.204.