Customer Reviews

The Blue Aspic

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I first saw Edward Gorey Artwork when I was 2 years old, and began collecting his books and artwork by the time I was 18. The drawings in the Blue Aspic are classic gorgeous Gorey at his most fabulous, each page dripping with amazing black and white patterns in exciting fabrics, wallpapers, sets, etc. His women are exotic beauties, his men in fur coats and mysterious. The humor is mordant. Dont miss this volume.

THE BLUE ASPIC is one of Gorey's works containing pen-and-ink drawings with accompanying captions. A grim tale of love and death like his THE LOATHSOME COUPLE, it concerns the obsessive love of a disturbed fan for a diva soprano.

THE BLUE ASPIC stands as one of my favourite Gorey books. The drawings are among his most finely detailed, and the structure of the story, with alternating pages tracking unwell fan Jasper Ankle and his idol Caviglia, is quite elegant. Gorey's style isn't for everyone. Readers without any knowledge of opera will miss most of the jokes here. And for one who hasn't read any Gorey yet, THE OTHER STATUE is perhaps the best introduction. But if you are familiar with the world of fine music, and are a fan of droll and macabre humour, THE BLUE ASPIC is worth reading. It's nice to see that this book, long out of print in standalone publication, is readily available again. It has also been reprinted in the AMPHIGOREY ALSO collection.

And that is saying something when you are talking about subjects like murder and stalking. When I was a child, Mystery Theater was on regularly and I always loved the intros. Never knew who did them until becoming an adult and the Internet provided me with the answer. Since I have purchased several Gorey books and this is one of his best.

Great as always. The quality of the book is great and anyone who enjoys Edward Gorey will enjoy this story as well.