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” color poster by cartoonist Art Spiegelman (Maus, Open Me, I’m a Dog, In the Shadow of No Towers) features an old woman on a park bench feeding books to the pigeons. Probably the scarcest of all the New York is Book Country posters, this was printed but never distributed as the festival…slated for September 23, 2001…was cancelled in light of the 9/11 attacks. Nevertheless, the official poster of New York is Book Country, 2001, in Very Fine condition.