The Object-Lesson [Hardcover]

Edward Gorey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2002

Inspired by Samuel Foote's poem, "The Grand Panjandrum," The Object-Lesson presents a stunning series of seemingly random and unrelated events. A missing artificial limb, ghostly spectres, and the statue of Corrupted Endeavour all have a place in this enigmatic tale, which combines elements of French surrealism, Japanese haiku, and lots of good fun.
With its humorous obscurity and puzzling intrigues, The Object-Lesson delights and provokes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR EDWARD GOREY

"Dark masterpieces of surreal morality . . . beautifully depicted."--Vanity Fair

"Edward Gorey's work is remarkable and mysterious. I find it fascinating."--Max Ernst

"A major graphic artist . . . his originality is profound."--Commentary

"Incredibly sophisticated . . . stylish and inventive."--The New York Observer

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (March 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151007098
• ISBN-13: 978-0151007097
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Pen & Ink

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

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars at the statue of Corrupted Endeavor, January 13, 2004

By 

Justin E. Jacobson "silent_bombadil" (Fort Walton Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Object-Lesson (Hardcover)

Edward Gorey, most easily recognizable for the opening animation of the television show "Mystery!", wrote dozens of strangely comic picture-books that were not intended for children. The Object-Lesson shines among them.

The first sentence, divided amongst six elaborately crosshatched panoramic ink drawings, initiates what is only the first of several surreal and non-sequiturial narratives and gives readers the sense that an elaborate story of some sort is unfolding and they are mearly seeing brief snippets.

Having just read the book, I'd say the effect is of looking out from inside a novel: a story is happening, but the large passages of narration that connect the individual events of "The Object-Lesson" into a single story are as unavailable to the reader as they are to the characters. It's mysterious, it's exciting, it's lots and lots of fun.

I reccomend buying this and leaving it anywhere in your home where people will be waiting for the maybe-five minutes it takes to finish the book, as the wierdness of it all will make their day that much more fun.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting book, March 30, 2002

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Object-Lesson (Hardcover)

This nifty book defies summarization. Traipsing along through 30 pages of illustrations and text, the story draws the reader along a whimsically surreal story, where each event leads inexorably to the next completely unconnected event! The illustrations are black-and-white, stark like the text, reminding one of the whimsical images that featured at the beginning of PBS's mystery show. This book is not to be taken too seriously, but is also not to be missed; it is an enchanting book.This nifty book defies summarization. Traipsing along through 30 pages of illustrations and text, the story draws the reader along a whimsically surreal story, where each event leads inexorably to the next completely unconnected event! The illustrations are black-and-white, stark like the text, reminding one of the whimsical images that featured at the beginning of PBS's mystery show. This book is not to be taken too seriously, but is also not to be missed; it is an enchanting book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charmingly Nonsensical, January 6, 2009

By 

Beaumont Hardy "Beaumont Hardy Editing" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Object-Lesson (Hardcover)

This book is great Edward Gorey fun. Each page contains one intriguing sentence that is completely unrelated to the sentence on the last page, but the implication is that the author is telling one coherent story. The pictures are hilarious, the vocabulary stimulating, and the situations entertainingly bizarre.