The World of Edward Gorey [Hardcover]

Clifford Ross (Author), Karen Wilkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

The World of Edward Gorey is the first major book in the devilishly amusing American artist and writer perhaps best known for his witty opening credits for public television's Mystery! series and for such books as Amphigorey, The Doubtful Guest, and Unstrung Harp. An extensive interview with Ross introduces the reader to Gorey himself, his interests, inspirations and obsessions. A selection of Mystery Guild. 200 illustrations, 24 in color.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edward Gorey is an author and an illustrator who has carved a unique niche creating macabre graphic novels that are part satire and part social commentary--comics for adults. Though often relating lurid tales of Victorian crime, Gorey eschews blood and gore in favor of atmosphere and humor. Here the editors have collected a representative sample of his work. Ross, an artist, and Wilkin, an art critic, also provide a useful introductory essay on Gorey's work and an informative interview with him. The book includes a complete bibliography and photographs of Gorey's library and studio.

From Booklist

Habitual watchers of PBS TV's long-running Mystery! may constitute the largest number of Edward Gorey fans--provided, of course, that they all love the show's animated introduction, for it is Gorey's contribution. Long before the show, Gorey had attracted a staunch band of admirers with his gravely humorous rhymed stories set in an Edwardian never-never land and illustrated in children's picture-book fashion, one drawing per page or line of verse. If your child had a somewhat morbid sense of humor, they could be marvelous children's books, but they were basically for adults fascinated by Gorey's literary and artistic allusions and the droll dreariness of his densely crosshatched style (although he rarely uses color, his thicket of lines ineluctably conjures them in the mind's eye; of course, all are the hues of dusk). Besides a little gallery of his work, this sampler includes a literate admiration by Wilkin and a splendidly amusing tete-a-tete with the artist by Ross. Ray Olson

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 1ST edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810939886
• ISBN-13: 978-0810939882
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A serious look at a funny man, March 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The World of Edward Gorey (Hardcover)

This book features an interesting interview, and then a rather rambling mononograph about Gorey's work overall. This essay is an important first attempt to place Gorey's unique vision into some kind of context, and though quite descriptive, it doesn't reveal a whole lot to me. The best part of the book is plates of some of Gorey's less well-known material, his stage curtain backdrops, etc. Fans of Gorey will appreciate a glimpse of these things for their collections. Those unfamiliar with his work would find a better introduction with one of the "Amphigorey" treasuries.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A is for Amy who fell down the stairs, July 9, 1998

By 

Patricia O'Tuama "rissa" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The World of Edward Gorey (Hardcover)

If you like Edward Gorey then you really owe it to yourself to get a copy of this very fine book. The authors, Clifford Ross and Karen Wilkin are artist and art critic, respectively. Ross begins the book with an interview with Edward Gorey himself in which they talk about other painters (Matisse, Albert York, Picasso, Manet and Max Ernst in particular); Surrealism; the creative process (included are a number of sketches and notes for finished drawings); Gorey's theater pieces; fiction; and television. Wilkin's piece follows next in which she discusses the "band of crypto-Edwardians" that appear so many of Gorey's books as compared to the illustrations he does for books by other authors, for Mystery Theater and for the stage, opera, theater and ballet. She has a very interesting perspective on Gorey's work within both historical and cultural contexts. The second half of the book contains numerous drawings and designs followed by a chronology of Gorey's life (rich with photographs of his home, including one of his cats) and a bibliography. A very interesting book. The only thing I would have added is a section on the Gorey cats (the ones that grace the Amphigorey books).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Two critical pieces and selections from his art, ultimately of limited appeal, April 9, 2006

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World of Edward Gorey (Paperback)

THE WORLD OF EDWARD GOREY, by Clifford Ross and Karen Wilkin, is an overview of the great artist, writer, and droll humorist. While Gorey is one of my favourite literary figures, I found this book to be of limited appeal.

The first part of the book is Ross' interview with Gorey, a rather unimpressive piece that sheds little light on Gorey's development. Ross will bring up painters or authors of the past, and Gorey will either mildly approve, or speak badly of them. Gorey doesn't really seem up to the discussion, and all in all this is a disappointment. What follows, however, is fairly enlightening: Wilkin's essay "Mr. Earbrass Jots Down a Few Visual Notes" explores the various themes of Gorey's work (such as children meeting unfortunate ends), allusions to earlier artists (such as Klee) in his work, and the way he constructs plots. This is a more substantial piece than the interview, though really it will be of interest only to those who wish to deeply explore all facets of Gorey's creations.

The second half of the book are the plates, and this is what really might attract casual lovers of Gorey's work even if they already have the "Amphigorey" collections. Here we find examples not from just his well-known books, but also drawings from unpublished ones, simple sketches of what later became mature material, and many of the book covers and theatrical designs he did for other literary works. I was quite surprised to see Gorey's book covers, since to me his style doesn't fit Muriel Spark or Gogol at all, but apparently he was quite sought after back in the day.

If you are a really intense fan of Gorey and want to know more about his critical reception, THE WORLD OF EDWARD GOREY may be worth looking at. Those who just get an occasional chuckle from his idiosyncracy, however, should pass.