Hapless Child [Hardcover]

Edward Gorey (Author)

Book Description

In addition to writing and illustrating more than one hundred works, the renowned artist Edward Gorey (1925-2000) was also a playwright, an award-winning set and costume designer, and the creator of the animated introduction to the PBS series Mystery!

This sorry tale of petite Charlotte Sophia's catastrophic, short life is classic Gorey. The poor child is orphaned and treated mercilessly by schoolmates and ruffians alike, and only barely survives--for a time, anyway--by the skin of her baby teeth. Even her doll suffers a gruesome end.

The little girl's journey is perfect fodder for Edward Gorey's brilliant penwork, so detailed and perfectly wrought that it's hard to believe he could master these images at such a small size (the illustrations reproduced in the book are the same size as his original drawings). The Hapless Child is widely regarded as one of Gorey's best books; happily it is now back in print after an absence of many years, so that we can all enjoy weeping for Charlotte Sophia again...and again, and again.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Weed (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825304105
• ISBN-13: 978-0825304101
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,710,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece!, May 18, 2000

By 

"lucrezia_79" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hapless Child (Hardcover)

This is one of Gorey's best stories, about the sad life of a sickeningly sweet orphan. Some people might prefer "The Gashlycrumb Tinies", but I think "The Hapless Child" is superior. This book is the epitome of Gorey's weird style, a parody of Victorian fiction, and always funny in a gruesome way, or gruesome in a funny way, depending on how you look at it. "The Hapless Child" is also collected in the first "Amphigorey" collection, but any serious collector of Goriana will have to own this edition as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars are too few!, April 11, 2008

By 

T. Holland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hapless Child (Hardcover)

The funniest tragedy ever written. With illustrations. I have owned, and loaned out or given, several copies. Lately, I've had to rely upon Amphigory to supply my bile. Now it's back again in a single volume! The perfect gift for weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and birthdays!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Macabre Delight, May 11, 2010

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hapless Child (Hardcover)

I got my copy of A Hapless Child without really knowing the story. I have been familiar with Edward Gorey's books for some time, and this one appealing because of the exquisite drawings. When I read the book, I was expecting a happy conclusion. I was taken in by the Hollywood standard of not killing off your hero. Certainly, the last two pages are both shocking and oddly humorous at the same time. I had to remember that Mr. Gorey was foremost a satirist with a tilt toward the macabre. In The Hapless Child he takes on Victorian novels like Oliver Twist where orphans have a miserable time until their lives are turned around by some rich distant relative or (as with Mr. Gorey's story) are discovered by a parent thought to be dead.

The Hapless Child was out-of-print for several years. This re-issue by Pomegranate is very good. The drawings are beautifully reproduced, the paper is superb and the binding and covers are meant to last.