(Sendak, Maurice) illustrator. NUTCRACKER; translated by Ralph Manheim; pictures by Maurice Sendak. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., (1984). STATED FIRST EDITION; NUMBER 234 OF 250 COPIES ON PAPER CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS BOOK; SIGNED BY SENDAK ON THE LIMITATION PAGE. Square 4to - 10-1/8" x 10-1/8". Blue-gray cloth covered boards with titles stamped in silver within a blind stamped decorative border to front cover and titles stamped in silver to spine with no fading, no rubbing and no wear for what is a pristine copy of the book. Original publisher's blue-gray cloth covered board slipcase with titles stamped in silver within a blind stamped decorative border, matching the design of the front cover of the book, with very minor fading to the spine panel and a few spots where the cloth is a little lighter than the rest to front panel for what is a very nice example of the slipcase. Beautiful color pictorial endpapers by Sendak. xiv, 102 pp. This English translation of E. T. A. Hoffmann's Nussknacker und Mausekonig is illustrated by Sendak in full color with costumes and set designs he created for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Christmas production of Nutcracker, in addition to new pictures he created especially for this book; internally the book is fine; LAID IN AS ISSUED IS AN ORIGINAL HAND-DRAWN LITHOGRAPH BY MAURICE SENDAK, NUMBER 234 OF 250 IMPRESSIONS PLUS 25 PROOFS, SIGNED BY SENDAK. The condition of the book and lithograph is FINE. The condition of the slipcase is NEAR FINE. SCARCE # 000898