I first encountered the works of Edward Gorey in 1972, with the publication of a collection of fifteen of his small books, called Amphigorey. I was immediately enchanted by his macabre, witty, enigmatic drawings and words, and tried to interest all my friends as well. The ones who got it were elevated to Best Friend status on the spot. The ones who didn't started to look at me oddly, as I chortled over "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" in which 26 children are alphabetically disposed of one by one: A is for Amy who fell down the stairs... B is for Basil assaulted by bears...

I offer three selections here as an introduction to Gorey:

Selections from "The Disrespectful Summons"
Selections from a favorite story.

Selections from "The Gashlycrumb Tinies"
If you find this offensive, Gorey is not for you.

Selections from "The Glorious Nosebleed"
Another alphabet (the title is meaningless, except perhaps to Mr. Gorey).


Edward St. John Gorey, born 1925, died 2000.

Home | Words | Contact Lunaea