Maurice Sendak (10 June 1928 – 8 May 2012) considered the story of Hansel and Gretel to be “one of the scariest stories ever written”. Stephen King has retold the Brothers Grimm tale accompanied by the artwork of Maurice Sendak, created in 1997 for stagings of the Engelbert Humperdinck opera based on this classic story.
This edition of Hansel and Gretel represents an inspired collaboration between The Maurice Sendak Foundation and HarperCollins which allows the drawings Sendak originally made for sets, curtains and costumes to be seen for the first time as a picture book alongside King’s text. The invitation to write a new version of the Grimm tale intrigued King, who had his own connections to Sendak, having read his books to his children. King responded particularly to the drawing included above, stating, “To me, it was the essence of this story and, really, all fairy tales: a sunny exterior, a dark and terrible center, brave and resourceful children. In a way, I have been writing about kids like Hansel and Gretel for much of my life.”
Design, typography, and typesetting of Hansel and Gretel by Stephen Stinehour and Elvira Piedra. Stinehour Editions photographed the original Sendak drawings and prepared files and proofs for the publisher. We thank the amazing team at the Maurice Sendak Foundation: Lynn Caponera, Jonathan Weinberg, Leah McCloskey, Nathan Flis, Suzanne Murphy, Chloe Giroux and Virginia Caponera and all at HarperCollins.
HarperCollins has been publishing Maurice Sendak’s work since 1947 (Atomics for the Millions, by Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff). The people responsible for continuing this endeavor at HarperCollins are a dedicated team which includes Megan Ilnitzki, Nancy Inteli, Nicole Moulaison, Rick Farley and Dana Fritts.
