THE ANIMAL FAMILY, by Randall Jarrell. ILLUSTRATED by MAURICE SENDAK.

SIGNED and INSCRIBED by MAURICE SENDAK on the title page: "to David / Maurice Sendak".

LONDON: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1967. First edition, first printing of the U.K. edition, with the statement "First published in Great Britain 1967" on the copyright page, the date 1967 on the title page, and no indication of additional printings. Originally published in the U.S. in 1965, the year of Randall Jarrell's death; the first UK edition was published a couple years later in 1967. The U.K. first is more difficult to find than the U.S. first, but either is rare when SIGNED by SENDAK

Hardcover book in dustjacket, 5.25x6.5 inches (13x16.5 cm). Each of the seven chapters begins with a full page b&w illustration by Sendak.

Condition: VERY GOOD book, slight corner tip bumps to the covers, inner pages with light signs of use, overall tight, bright, clean and unmarked, a lovely copy; in a FAIR PLUS dustjacket that has spine end, corner tip, and edgewear. including a 1 inch closed tear to the top edge of the front panel and some small tears to the spine ends; the rear panel has staining to its spine margin and a few small stains to its edges (none show through to the backside of the dj or affect the book); there is a piece of clear tape reinforcement to the dj's backside; otherwise the dj is bright, doing its job well, and retains its original 12s 6d price at the bottom of the front flap. The dj is now in a mylar dustjacket protector.