NONFICTION - Feb. 6, 1994

JIM HENSON: THE WORKS The Art, the Magic, the Imagination by Christopher Finch (Random House: $40; 252 pp.). This affectionate biography traces the career of the innovative puppeteer from his early days at WRC-TV in Washington through the extraordinary success of “Sesame Street,” “The Muppet Show” and the Muppet movies. Finch, who also wrote “Of Muppets & Men” (1981), has assembled a wealth of color photographs from all phases of Henson’s work, including some funny behind-the-scenes shots. But “The Works” often feels a little too affectionate and uncritical. Finch lavishes superlatives on everything Henson touched, even “The Dark Crystal,” a pretentious muddle of a movie. His adjectival overkill cloys because it’s so unnecessary. Henson ranks among the most imaginative figures in the history of puppetry and family entertainment; that he created greater and lesser films is neither surprising nor shameful. This caveat aside, “The Works” will please the legions of fans who still mourn Jim Henson’s premature death in 1990.