Amphigorey Again

I bought this book full knowing It wouldnt match up with amphigorey and amphigorey again, though by no means 'bad' it is certainly not on par with the three it proceeded. I would recommend this to a Fan of Gorey, but if you're a neophyte read the earlier works

There's only one master of the macabre. Edward Gorey. This is a fantastic collection for those who find everything he did captivating and a joy to read. I love this. Hunker down with this tome in the Fall.

If that description matches something enjoyable, it has to be Edward Gorey's work. This poshumous collection proves that even death can't stop a creative mind of his kind.

Like the other Aphigorey collections, this presents over two dozen short pieces. Some, like "Cat[e]gory", arrive wordless, leaving the reader to assign meaning. Others, including "The Deadly Blotter" and "The Izzard Book," involve wordplay of some kind. In others, "The Admonitory Hippopotamus" in particular, the words seem to clutch theirs meanings closely as they fly by, without dropping those meanings where the reader can find them.

But, even more than his stories (if the term 'story' in fact applies), Gorey's fame derives from his art. Fans of public television's "Mystery" know his style, whether or not they know that they know it: heavily textured pen drawings, people gazing off to the place where they might remember something terribly important, and amorphous little animals doing something mysterious and just a little desperate.

This collection includes an unfinished piece, showing some of the progression from Gorey's pencil sketches to his nervous, distracted cartoons. It's a wonderful addition, and possibly the last, to any collection of this cult-favorite illustrator's work.

-- wiredweird

Amphigorey Again is a wonderful addition to the now classic Amphigorey series (the others being Amphigorey, Amphigorey Too and Amphigorey Also).
Said that this fourth volume is by far the weakest, but that's not to
say it's bad (remember we're not talking about hacks):Gorey in his less inspired moments is still worth buying.
There are a number of very short pieces here as well as some wonderful ilustrations but the most interesting pieces are the lenghty ones, even
though some of them seems like an incomplete draft.
Amphigorey Again is not the best introduction for those who wants to
immerse for the first time in Gorey's demented genius but if you are a
a Gorey addict this volume is ABSOLUTELY INDISPENSABLE.

AMPHIGOREY AGAIN:
The Galoshes of Remorse (illustration) ==========
Signs of Spring ================================= ***1/2
Seasonal Confusion ============================== ***1/2
Random Walk ===================================== ***1/2
Category (illustration) =========================
The Other Statue ================================ ****
10 Impossible Objects =========================== -
The Universal Solvent =========================== -
Scénes de Ballet ================================ ***1/2

Verse Advice ==================================== ***
The Deadly Blotter ============================== ***
Creativity ====================================== ***
The Retrieved Locket ============================ ***
The Water Flowers =============================== ***1/2
The Haunted The-Cosy ============================ ***1/2
Christmas Wrap-up (illustration) ================
The Headless Bust =============================== ****
The Just Dessert ================================ **1/2
The Admonitory Hippopotamus ===================== ***1/2
Negected Murderesses ============================ ***1/2
Tragédies Topiaries ============================= ****

The Raging Tide ================================= ****
The Unknown Vegetable =========================== ****
Another Random Walk ============================= ***1/2
Serious Life: A Cruise ========================== ***1/2
Figbash Acrobate (Illustrations) ================
La Malle Saignante ============================== ****
The Izzard Book ================================= ***

Surely this could not be the last of Gorey whose illustrations highlight television shows, books, and stories better than any other weird, offbeat or just plain strange artist.