New York is Book Country was a Manhattan street fair and literary celebration begun in 1979 and abruptly cancelled in 2003. Each year, a prominent artist or book illustrator created a poster to mark the event. Oftentimes, the artist was on hand to autograph the poster for attendees. The very first NY is BC featured two posters, one created by Edward Gorey and a second by Maurice Sendak. In subsequent years, only one was issued.

This original 26 x 18-3/4” color poster by the wonderful children’s author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg (The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, The Polar Express, Jumanji) features a man being rained upon by a sky-fall of books. The official poster of New York is Book Country, 1990, in Fine condition. Interestingly, the artist’s name is misspelled in the credits for the poster (as “Van Allsberg”).