Happy Birthday Edward Gorey!

Submitted by Tara on February 23, 2011 - 1:09am

Edward Gorey, born on February 22, 1925, is the author of over 100 books and the illustrator of hundreds more. Even though he passed away in 2000, his macabre crosshatch style of illustration has influenced many artists to this day and continues to capture the imaginations of readers everywhere.

Compendiums

Books about Edward Gorey

Elephant House, or, The Home of Edward Gorey by Kevin McDermott
Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey: Interviews
The World of Edward Gorey by Clifford Ross

Tara's blog

Comments

Submitted by annonymous on February 24, 2011 - 1:06pm.

i wish i'd made this blog post! love love love edward gorey i'll have to look into borrowing that strange case of edward gorey. When i was a kid i would always rush to the tv to watch the beginning of Mystery that PBS show that opened with a gorey cartoon. i never watched the show just the opener. LOVED it!

Submitted by Carol on February 23, 2011 - 5:26pm.

His illustrations are the perfect compliment to a trio fo Florence Parry Heide books about Treehorn. they are "The Shrinking of Treehorn," "Treehorn's Wish" and "Treehorn's Treasure."

These three are some of my all-time favorite children's books as they so perfectly capture the divide between the child and the adult sensibility. Gems, all three.

Submitted by Tara on February 23, 2011 - 7:47pm.

Thank you for your comment! I agree that his illustrations are a wonderous addition to those works. I believe my first introduction to him was through his illustrations of the John Bellairs book, The House with a Clock in its Walls. The library owns two other books by Bellairs with illustrations by Gorey, The Mansion in the Mist and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder, which is part of the Children's Historical Collection.

Submitted by GoreyFan on February 23, 2011 - 12:46pm.

As a note-- there is a fascinating book which does not appear in the DPL catalog: The Strange Case of Edward Gorey by Alexander Theroux-- perhaps you may get it?

...and a second note-- Gorey was loathed that his work was so often described as 'macabre'. It apparently hurt his feelings deeply.

Submitted by Tara on February 23, 2011 - 7:37pm.

I adore Edward Gorey. I had no idea that he loathed when his work was described as macabre! I had always assumed it was intentional since he put together works such as The Haunted Looking Glass where he selected and illustrated ghost stories! Thank you for sharing your insight!