Dear Mili
New York, NY, U.S.A. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1988. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. First Edition, First Printing. Cloth. New / Fine in Archival Plastic Cover. Item #5223
ISBN: 0374317623
A beautiful First Edition, First Printing obtained directly from the late Maurice Sendak and signed for Parrish Books by him on the half-title page on February 1, 2004 at his home in Connecticut. In fine dark green cloth with a fine colorful dustjacket.
In 1983, antiquarian bookseller Justin Schiller sold a letter written by Wilhelm Grimm that included the original manuscript of a previously unknown fairy tale titled 'Mili.' Scholars believe Wilhelm Grimm wrote the story not for publication, but as a personal gift to a young girl named Mili, offering her comfort during the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars.
In his 1992 essay "Recent Trends in the Contemporary American Fairy Tale," Jack Zipes observes, "Anyone familiar with Sendak's works, particularly 'Where the Wild Things Are,' can perhaps understand why he was drawn to this tale. He has never tired of illustrating the flight and return of the child, who reconciles himself to a mother or home."
A poignant story about a young girl sent into the forest by her mother to shield her from a devastating war. She believes she spends three days with an elderly man, but upon returning home, she discovers that thirty years have passed. Sendak's "The Juniper Tree" shares a number of similarities to "Dear Mili."
Sendak weaves numerous literary and historical allusions with his characteristic whimsy, including a brief appearance of Mozart conducting a children's choir in Brooklyn.
Price: $385.00 other currencies