Amphigorey

This is a nice little collection. I already have The Gashleycrumb Tinies, which I dearly love, and this is a nice way to get exposed to some more Edward Gorey. One word of advice, particularly for parents: it isn't all funny (The Hapless Child was weirdly depressing) and it isn't all for children! I don't have kids, but if I did, I might wait 'til they were teenagers to share this with them. There are a few things I wouldn't want to have to explain. But for the older crowd, such clever little lines and the drawings are so detailed, so interesting. You'd swear you were reading something from Victorian era England, until you wikied Edward Gorey and found out he was born in Chicago in 1925. It's a good sampling for not a lot of money. Buy it!

"Amphigorey" brings together fifteen of Edward Gorey's most mordantly delightful books. Gorey's vision can be childishly simple ("The Wuggly Ump" and "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," in which things end up very, very badly for the small fry described therein) or surprisingly complex ("The Unstrung Harp," a faux-Jamesian sendup of the agonies of authorship). However, the macabre yet quizzical sense of humor remains the same from book to book, as does the indescribable sense of dark loneliness that Gorey conjures, that delineation of the empty spaces that clutter even the most purposeful lives. His meticulously cross-hatched drawings of hapless, willowy Victorians and Edwardians in peril retain their genteel hilarity ("The Doubtful Guest" is one of the funniest books I have ever read, bar none), but they can also reveal a wistful melancholy that is deeply affecting, as in "The Remembered Visit," the final story in this collection. Gorey is ineffable and unique, and will remain so for future enthralled generations.

I remember reading this book as a child. It left a lasting impression on me, with it's lugubrious illustrations and often macabre, though not explicit, prose. My only problem with it: it's a paper back and I much prefer hard cover. I intend for this book to be in my permanent collection, and paperbacks don't tend to last over time.

Edward Gorey was a strange, strange man who created odd, unclassifiable books (novels? comics? nonsense?) graced by decidedly weird illustrations. Aside from his books, his work appeared in many other places: the opening sequence of the PBS series Mystery, set designs for various theatrical productions, on lunch boxes, on the covers of other authors' books. His illustrations are generally very well suited to the works they accompany, and so even if you've never sat down with one of his books, it's easy to feel familiar with his work.

Prior to reading Amphigorey, my exposure to Gorey had been mainly to his work as an illustrator. This collection, which anthologizes fifteen different books (1953-1965), broadened my understanding and appreciation of Gorey as both a writer and an artist. It opens with The Unstrung Harp, the tale of one Mr. Earbrass' experience writing a novel, and it is better in many regards than most other books devoted to that subject. The Gashlycrumb Tinies is a macabre alphabet book, one of his many rhyming/verse works, illustrating each letter with the death of a child in a different manner. The Bug Book is the simple tale of the life of some very happy bugs, and how they deal with sudden appearance of a large and unpleasant bug. The West Wing is one of the oddest in the volume, a wordless book that may or may not have a narrative, and in which a house appears to be the central character. Taken together, the works in this collection are enjoyable, diverse, and fun, and they may challenge you to think in new ways about text and illustration, and what the relationship between the two is or ought to be.

Although AMPHIGOREY TOO and AMPHIGOREY ALSO are exceptionally
fine collections, AMPHIGOREY (the first in a series of four
handsome trade paperbacks collecting almost all Gorey's solo
works) is still the best introduction to the wonderfully demen-
ted world of the american cartoonist.
Here you'll find children facing death, strange creatures
disturbing the piece of families, a writer in crisis, a hungry
monster hunting innocent children etc.But remember, this is not an
ordinary book, it's not even a comic book, it's a Gorey book.
The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Hapless Child, The Listing Attic and
The Fatal Lozenge are my personal favorites but each one is a po-
lished gem of delicate confection, intricate beauty and stunning
wordplay.
Simply wonderful.

AMPHIGOREY:
The Unstrung Harp (1953) ========================= ****1/2
The Listing Attic (1954) ========================= *****
The Doubtful Guest (1957) ======================== ****1/2
The Object-Lesson (1958) ========================= ****
The Bug Book (1959) ============================== ***1/2
The Fatal Lozenge (1960) ========================= *****
The Hapless Child (1961) ========================= *****
The Curious Sofa (1961) ========================== ****1/2
The Willowdale Handcar (1962) ==================== ****1/2
The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963) ==================== *****
The Insect God (1963) ============================ *****
The West Wing (1963) ============================= ***1/2
The Wuggly Ump (1963) ============================ ****1/2
The Sinking Spell (1964) ========================= ****1/2
The Remembered Visit (1965) ====================== ****