The Gashlycrumb Tinies [Hardcover]

Edward Gorey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1997

A new, small-format edition of one of Gorey’s “dark masterpieces of surreal morality” (Vanity Fair) - a witty, disquieting journey through the alphabet.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears. C is for Clara who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh..." The rhyming couplets of this grim abecedarian are familiar, of course, to devotees of macabre humor, but the darkly crosshatched drawings are (as Poe put it) "the soul of the plot." Several years went by during which The Gashlycrumb Tinies: Or, After the Outing was not available in a small hardcover edition like this one, which is the true format for Edward Gorey's specialty, the adult picture book. (For those who wish to share the gloom there's a 10-copy assortment with The Curious Sofa.)

Review

"A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears. C is for Clara who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh..." The rhyming couplets of this grim abecedarian are familiar, of course, to devotees of macabre humor, but the darkly crosshatched drawings are (as Poe put it) "the soul of the plot." Several years went by during which The Gashlycrumb Tinies: Or, After the Outing was not available in a small hardcover edition like this one, which is the true format for Edward Gorey's specialty, the adult picture book. (Amazon.com Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151003084
• ISBN-13: 978-0151003082
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Arts & Photography > Individual Artists
  • #51 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Comic Strips

More About the Author

Edward Gorey (1925-2000) wrote and illustrated such popular books as The Doubtful Guest, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and The Headless Bust. He was also a very successful set and costume designer, earning a Tony Award for his Broadway production of Edward Gorey's Dracula. Animated sequences of his work have introduced the PBS series Mystery! since 1980.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilariously creepy, December 18, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gashlycrumb Tinies (Hardcover)

The concept behind "The Gashlycrumb Tinies; or, After the Outing," by Edward Gorey, is brilliant in its simplicity. It consists of a series of rhymes about small children who suffer various deaths. Each child has a name beginning with a different letter of the alphabet, and their grim fates are arranged alphabetically by name. Each fate is also accompanied by one of Gorey's macabre drawings. Sample lines: "E is for Ernest who choked on a peach. F is for Fanny sucked dry by a leech. G is for George smothered under a rug. H is for Hector done in by a thug."

I found this book hilarious. Gorey's children have a proper Victorian look to them which makes their scenarios that much more bizarre. Most of the drawings show the unfortunate children just before their deaths; only a few of the pictures actually show explicit death or violence.

One could read "Gashlycrumb Tinies" as an outrageous parody of children's books (of alphabet primers in particular), or just enjoy it for what it is. Either way, I think it's a wicked delight.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars highly amusing, June 28, 2000

By 

Andrew Greenberg (Rockaway, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gashlycrumb Tinies (Hardcover)

This is the first Gorey I have ever read. I just read it today. Here are my impressions:

As my title indicates, I found it highly amusing. I found myself laughing out loud a few times while reading this very short book.

The illustrations are fantastic as you can gather from most of these reviews. Most of the illustrations are funny but I might note the exception to that in the gruesome image of Kate's corpse after being struck with an ax. I think that's the only illustration taking place after the event. That proved to be an exception though. The book is very amusing and hilarious at times.

It's an anti-children's book for adults. It can be a funny remedy to the insipid and happy-go-lucky kinds of children's books. That doesn't mean this is just for parents or those particularly sick with those children's books. I think anyone with a decent sense of humor, and especially a dark one, would enjoy this.

It's short. I don't know why the information says it's 64 pages because there are only 26 letters in the alphabet. Anyway, my point is that it's just a little humorous diversion.

This hardcover edition is really great. It's high quality and just plain nice...

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drop-Dead Humor from A to Z, March 19, 2004

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gashlycrumb Tinies (Hardcover)

Edward Gorey's dark subversion of children's alphabet books is a tiny book guaranteed to bring a sinister smile to the face of every one with a twisted sense of humor. Opening with "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs" and running all the way to "Z is for Zilla who drank too much gin," the simple but inspired rhymes combine with Gorey's pseudo-Victorian Gothic crosshatch illustrations to wickedly funny effect.

Although his disaster-specific illustrations (such as "R is Rhoda consumed by a fire") are macabrely witty, Gorey is really at his best when he leaves the most to your imagination. Consequently, it is really his illustrations of impending doom ("P is for Prue trampled flat in a brawl") or the shocking aftermath of an unknown circumstance ("K is for Kate who was struck with an ax") that are most likely to inspire a mischievous grin.

Although you might not want to give this to your anxiety-prone niece or your traumatized stepson as a Christmas stocking stuffer unless you wish to make them worry about your intent, older children will likely find it every bit as comical as adults--but adults are the real audience here, much more likely to catch the drop-dead humor involved. Wickedly amusing and sinisterly charming in every way.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer