books in order

Edward Gorey Books In Order

Vinegar Works Books In Order

  1. The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963)
  2. The Insect God (1963)
  3. The West Wing (1963)

Novels

  1. The Listing Attic (1975)
  2. The Unstrung Harp (1999)

Collections

  1. Amphigorey (1972)
  2. Amphigorey Too (1975)
  3. Amphigorey Also (1983)
  4. Amphigorey Again (2006)

Chapbooks

  1. The Willowdale Handcar (2003)

Picture Books

  1. The Hapless Child (1961)
  2. The Remembered Visit (1965)
  3. The Sinking Spell (1965)
  4. The Sopping Thursday (1971)
  5. The Doubtful Guest (1978)
  6. The Bug Book (1987)
  7. Fatal Lozenge (1989)
  8. The Beastly Baby (1995)
  9. The Headless Bust (1999)
  10. The Iron Tonic (2000)
  11. The Other Statue (2001)
  12. The Object Lesson (2002)
  13. Donald Has a Difficulty (2004)
  14. The Glorious Nosebleed (2009)
  15. The Utter Zoo (2010)
  16. Why We Have Day and Night (2011)
  17. The Evil Garden (2011)
  18. The Lost Lions (2011)
  19. Donald and the… & Donald Has a Difficulty (2012)
  20. A Halloween Treat (2012)
  21. The Osbick Bird (2012)
  22. Thoughtful Alphabets: The Just Dessert and The Deadly Blotter (2012)

Graphic Novels

  1. The Blue Aspic (1968)

Anthologies edited

  1. The Haunted Looking Glass (1959)

Non fiction

  1. The Awdrey-Gore Legacy (1972)
  2. The New Poster Book (2009)
  3. The Recently Deflowered Girl (2009)
  4. The Wuggly Ump and Other Delights (2010)

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Edward Gorey Books Overview

The Gashlycrumb Tinies

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

The West Wing

One of Mr. Gorey’s wordless masterworks. New York Times Edward Gorey s The West Wing is an invitation to the imagination. On each page, a room beckons, inviting the reader to wonder why three shoes lie here abandoned, what is retreating in that mirror s reflection, or why there is an imprint of a body on the wallpaper, faded and floating four feet above the floor. A wordless mystery, it is one of Gorey s finest works.

The Unstrung Harp

On November 18th of alternate years Mr Earbrass begins writing ‘his new novel.’ Weeks ago he chose its title at random from a list of them he keeps in a little green note book. It being tea time of the 17th, he is alarmed not to have thought of a plot to which The Unstrung Harp might apply, but his mind will keep reverting to the last biscuit on the plate.’ So begins what the Times Literary Supplement called ‘a small masterpiece.’ TUH is a look at the literary life and its ‘attendant woes: isolation, writer’s block, professional jealousy, and plain boredom.’ But, as with all of Edward Gorey’s books, TUH is also about life in general, with its anguish, turnips, conjunctions, illness, defeat, string, parties, no parties, urns, desuetude, disaffection, claws, loss, trebizond, napkins, shame, stones, distance, fever, antipodes, mush, glaciers, incoherence, labels, miasma, amputation, tides, deceit, mourning, elsewards. You get the point. Finally, TUH is about Edward Gorey the writer, about Edward Gorey writing The Unstrung Harp. It’s a cracked mirror of a book, and it’s dedicated to RDP or Real Dear Person.

Amphigorey

Foreword by the author: ‘Amphigorey is made up of books first published between 1953 and 1965. They are now difficult and often expensive to come by; hence this compilation. Its title is taken from amphigory, or amphigouri, meaning a nonsense verse or composition.’ E. G.

Amphigorey Also

Drawings including thirty two pages in color, captions, and verse showcasing Gorey’s unique talents and humor. The Glorious Nosebleed, The Utter Zoo, The Epiplectic Bicycle, and fourteen other selections.

Amphigorey Again

This latest collection displays in glorious abundance the offbeat characters and droll humor of Edward Gorey. Figbash is acrobatic, topiaries are tragic, hippopotami are admonitory, and galoshes are remorseful in this celebration of a unique talent that never fails to delight, amuse, and confound readers. Amphigorey Again contains previously uncollected work and two unpublished stories ‘The Izzard Book,’ a quirky riff on the letter Z, and ‘La Malle Saignante,’ a bilingual homage to early French silent serial movies. Rough sketches and unfinished panels show an ironic and singular mind at work and serve as a fitting celebration of Edward Gorey’s unusual genius.

The Willowdale Handcar

In this enigmatic, surreal, wonderfully entertaining tale, three mysterious figures set out from Willowdale, travelling by handcar. On the way to nowhere in particular they pass a number of odd characters and observe a series of baffling phenomena, from a house burning down in a field to a palatial mansion perched precariously on a bluff. At once deeply vexing and utterly hilarious, darkly mysterious and amusingly absurd, ‘The Willowdale Handcar‘ is vintage Edward Gorey.

The Hapless Child

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.

The Remembered Visit

On a long trip abroad, Gorey’s young Drusilla is introduced to high art and gourmet meals. She gamely tries to appreciate the museums, rich food, and architectural wonders that delight her parents, only to find herself drifting along in a puzzling world. But then Miss Skrim Pshaw takes her for tea with Mr Crague, a sockless, elderly man with a notable past, and their brief encounter is what will haunt Drusilla years later. Her casual promise to the old man has led to sudden recollection, then sad regret. In this curious coming of age tale, Edward Gorey employs his signature dark humor and exquisite illustrations to deftly portray the precociousness of a child on the brink of adulthood. One of the most enigmatic of Gorey’s many books, The Remembered Visit has been a favorite of Gorey fans, young and old, since its original release in 1965.

The Sopping Thursday

An umbrella is missing. A man is distressed. A thief scampers over rooftops. A child is in danger. A harangued salesclerk weeps. A dog save the day. The intriguing story of The Sopping Thursday is unlike any other Edward Gorey book, both because of its unique gray and black illustrations and because it has a happy ending if one is to dismiss any worry about the child featured in the last frame. In just thirty images and thirty short lines of text, Gorey manages to create a complex tableau of characters and a plot worthy of film noir. Long out of print, this new edition is faithful to the size of Gorey’s original drawings and wisely refrains from offering any editorial commentary…
except to say this Gorey jewel is to quote the eminent literary critic Edmund Wilson ‘a brilliant discovery.’

The Doubtful Guest

An artist and writer of genius New Yorker gives us a small format edition of one of his favorite tales a deliciously twisted comedy of manners.

The Beastly Baby

A calmly horrific tale about a most unpleasant infant everyone is trying to get rid of.

The Headless Bust

‘Marvellous, unsettling fun.’ ‘Observer’. ‘Many of Edward Gorey’s most fervent devotees think he’s: English and dead. Actually, he has never so much as visited either place.’ ‘New Yorker’. The inhabitants of the ever so popular ‘Haunted Tea Cosy’ return in a new holiday tale. As we wander off with Edward Gorey into the next millennium our reasons for being here are far from clear. Nevertheless, the master craftsman at his best.

The Iron Tonic

It’s difficult to say what The Iron Tonic is about, although it is ‘known the skating pond conceals a family of enormous eels’, and that ‘the light is fading from the day. The rest is darkness and dismay’. Whatever it is about, though, The Iron Tonic could be seen as Edward Gorey’s version of a winter afternoon in one of the great Russian novels of the nineteenth century.

The Other Statue

The annual charity f te at Backwater Hall in Mortshire is disrupted by the mysterious death of Lord Wherewithal and the theft of the Lisping Elbow. Confusion and misgivings abound. And, alas, the Earl of Thump’s stuffed thisby is found disemboweled by the edge of the lake. Dr. Belgravius and his nephew, Luke Touchpaper, attempt to tie the loose ends together and wonder why Miss Underfold was seen wearing a hat decorated with black lilies. And why was Victoria Scone dancing the tango with Horace Gollop in The Soiled Dove?Edward Gorey creates an intriguing and sharply mordant world and leaves us his own mystery what has happened to the missing Night Bandage, volume two of the Mortshire secrets?

The Object Lesson

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.

Donald Has a Difficulty

This is the story of a boy named Donald who enlists his wise mother’s aid in removing a splinter. She tells him to think of markets, and strings, and battles, and he therefore doesn’t feel its removal. However, when she calls him back to treat the wound, he forgets to think of those things and feels the sting.

The Glorious Nosebleed

The Glorious Nosebleed, an alphabet created with Edward Gorey’s inimitable sense of the weird and the macabre, trips from A to Z with illustrations that are both strikingly funny and a bit weird, all the way from She wandered among the trees Aimlessly to He wrote it all down Zealously. A classic of Gorey s imaginative and darkly humorous mind.

The Utter Zoo

Twenty six curious creatures from the fastidious Ampoo to the world’s one and only Zote fill the pages of The Utter Zoo, an alphabet from the untamed imagination of Edward Gorey. The Boggerslosh, the Crunk, and the Dawbis; the Ippagoggy, the Jelbislup, and the Kwongdzu; the Scrug, the Twibbit, and the Ulp each strange and wonderful zoomate displays its own primary characteristic, described in Gorey’s inimitable, droll, rhyming couplets.A writer and artist with an instantly recognizable style, Gorey American, 1925 2000 created over one hundred works and was also a playwright, an award winning set and costume designer, and the creator of the animated introduction to the PBS series Mystery! First published in 1967, The Utter Zoo is a favorite of Gorey fans, young and old alike no matter how well they know their ABCs.

Why We Have Day and Night

It’s all dark!What happened to the light?Why is everything black?Do you know?In this curious tale, four children, accompanied by their faithful cat, stumble around in the dark and ask, What’s going on when the lights go out? A lot of imagination and a little bit of science cue a flashlight and an orange inspire a creative conclusion. To these young minds, Why We Have Day and Night is a big question that can only be answered by one very hungry little bug.

The Evil Garden

Great Uncle Franz, beside the lake,Is being strangled by a snake. The peaches, apples, plums, and pearsAre guarded by ferocious bears. Alexa watches while her auntIs pulled feet first inside a plant.A happy, naive family enters The Evil Garden free admission! to spend a sunny afternoon in its inviting landscape, lush with exotic trees and flowers. They soon realize their mistake, as harrowing sounds and evidence of foul play emerge. When humongous hairy bugs, famished carnivorous plants, ferocious fruit guarding bears, and a sinister strangling snake take charge, the family’s ominous feelings turn to full on panic but where’s the exit?Edward Gorey leads us through this nefarious garden with a light step. His unmistakable drawings paired with engaging couplets produce giggles, not gasps. Perhaps The Evil Garden is a morality tale; perhaps it’s simply an enigmatic entertainment. Whatever the interpretation, it’s a prime example of the iconic storytelling genius that is Edward Gorey.

The Blue Aspic

Ortenzia Caviglia is an undiscovered opera understudy whose lucky break results from the mysterious murder of the reigning diva. Upon hearing her sing, Jasper Ankle becomes her deepest admirer, undaunted by perilous weather and abject poverty in his quest to hear her sing. As Ortenzia’s star rises, Jasper sinks further into despair, until performer and fan collide in true Edward Gorey fashion. Exquisitely illustrated with Gorey’s signature pen and ink crosshatching, The Blue Aspic is a heart wrenching and oddly hilarious tale of unrequited love and the dangers of celebrity. Treasured by adoring fans since its original release in 1968, The Blue Aspic remains an iconic masterpiece from the one and only great Mr. Gorey.

The Haunted Looking Glass

The Haunted Looking Glass is the late Edward Gorey’s selection of his favorite tales of ghosts, ghouls, and grisly goings on. It compiles stories by a number of masters of the art of making the flesh crawl including Charles Dickens, M. R. James, and Bram Stoker. This volume provides an introduction to the best of their lesser known works, accompanied by Gorey s inimitable illustrations. His meticulously executed line drawings and quirky and often morbid sense of humor have made his works instantly recognizable and widely loved. The Haunted Looking Glass is a spine tingling tribute to the master of the macabre. A brilliant draftsman, Mr. Gorey has raised the crosshatch, a timeworn 19th century mannerism, into a timeless visual language…
His works tickle the funny bone as they raise hair on the back of the neck. The New York Times

The Awdrey-Gore Legacy

Miss D. Awdrey Gore, renowned 97 year old writer of detective stories, is found murdered; then a mysterious hidden packet is discovered. Addressed to her publisher, it contains what appear to be notes and drawings related to a literary work in progress. The contents ‘in their entirety though certain things are patently missing’ comprise clues about the who, what, when, where, and how of Awdrey Gore’s demise. Or do they? Edward Gorey takes us on a rollicking ride in this merry murder mystery, but whether or not the killer is revealed is open to speculation. As one scrap of paper in the packet states, ‘The smallest clue may be or not / The one to give away the plot.’Like his fictional dame novelist, Gorey 1925 2000 was a prolific author. Creator of more than one hundred works, he was also an artist, playwright, award winning set and costume designer, and creator of the animated introduction to the PBS series Mystery! First published in 1972, The Awdrey Gore Legacy remains one of Gorey’s most treasured tales, satisfying the sleuth in each of us. 64 pages with more than 50 color and black and white Gorey drawings. Hardcover smyth sewn casebound book, with jacket.

The New Poster Book

The Doubtful Guest, Amy and Basil Gashlycrumb, Dracula and Lucy, Jumblies, the Great Veiled Bear this curious cast of characters joins a slew of other peculiar people and beasts in this big beauty of a book. Thirty large format reproductions display Edward Gorey’s signature crosshatched drawings, elegant watercolors, and endless wit all perfect for framing, or to treasure as a collection. This is a brand new publication, not a remake of Gorey Posters Abrams, 1979, now long out of print. With eighteen images in full color, Edward Gorey: The New Poster Book presents a refreshing and engaging survey of the genius of this beloved artist.

The Recently Deflowered Girl

An infectiously funny guide to post deflowerment decorum, with illustrations by a master of the absurd. For more than half a century Miss Hyacinthe Phypps has been offering guidance on proper behavior. Her simple rules of propriety and common sense have helped a generation of girls over the threshold to womanhood. Recognizing the need that prevails more today than ever before, Miss Phypps has been persuaded to bring back into print this priceless volume of her words of advice, delightfully accompanied by Edward Gorey’s ink and watercolor illustrations, that have been so valuable on so many occasions. It is the publishers fondest hope that this book will serve the current generation of young ladies as it served their mothers.

The Wuggly Ump and Other Delights

The artist Edward Gorey American, 1925 2000 created a diverse menagerie ranging from Menacing Monsters to Sleepy Cats. One of his creepiest Creatures was an Ump renowned for its Wuggliness. Mr. Gorey drew the Ump, from its ‘little wilful eyes’ to the tip of its snakey tail, and he wrote down its scarey story. The whole thing is here for you to color, along with some other pictures of Cats, a Lion, several Little Girls, and two Ladies in Very Big Hats. You will find twenty two of Gorey’s pictures in this coloring book. They are shown as small pictures on the inside front and back covers. Sometimes Gorey used color, but quite often he simply drew with black ink. Still, he’d have been curious to see what colors you might add to his drawings. Selections: Illustrations from The Wuggly Ump, The Remembered Visit, Story for Sara, The Very Fine Clock, and more.

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