"…BUT FOR NOW I'M STUCK IN MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH A BUNCH OF MORONS": JEFF KINNEY'S PHENOMENALLY POPULAR DIARY OF A WIMPY KID SERIES, SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR IN ALL NINE BOOKS

KINNEY, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series (Books 1-8: Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Rodrick Rules; The Last Straw; Dog Days; The Ugly Truth; Cabin Fever; The Third Wheel; Hard Luck. WITH: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do-It-Yourself Book). New York: Amulet Books, (2007-13). Nine volumes. Octavo, original glazed stiff pictorial boards. Housed in a custom slipcase. $6500.

First editions of the first eight titles as well as the "Do-It-Yourself" volume of the wildly successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, each book boldly signed or inscribed by the author-illustrator, Jeff Kinney.

When aspiring newspaper cartoonist Jeff Kinney failed to land a syndication deal, he turned online to start publishing what would become his blockbuster "novel in cartoons," Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Millions of younger (and not-so-young) readers embraced the series' refreshingly honest, frequently hilarious takes on adolescence in modern suburban America. An evergreen on numerous bestseller lists, the Wimpy Kid books have also garnered critical acclaim. In 2009, Time magazine named Kinney one of the world's most influential people. "I tried to create a story that's a celebration of childhood itself," Kinney once told the New York Times. "I'm interested in absurdity and things that feel true. My number 1 goal is authenticity, so that kids can't sniff that it was written by an adult." Elements from the first several books formed the basis for three well-received motion pictures (2010-12).

A fine signed set of an instant American young adult classic.