Edward Gorey

Edward Gorey is one of my favorite writer-illustrators. I love his lyrical and wickedly macabre stories — like a twisted Edward Lear or Lewis Carroll) and his equally macabre pen and ink illustrations!

I’ve blogged about acouple books of his in the past — Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (illustrations) and The Curious Sofa (story and illustrations), and I’ve got a couple more to show you in this post: The Iron Tonic and the pop-up book The Dwindling Party, both rummaged in bargain bins in two separate occasions, at P20 (US$0.5) and P95 (around US$2) respectively.

The Iron Tonic, or A Winter Afternoon in a Lonely Valley, is on the darker spectrum of Gorey’s works, a bleak story about what happens on a snowy countryside one afternoon in a desolate hotel and nearby — old and sick guests, falling objects, a skating pond with giant eels, a disembodied voice, an abandoned graveyard, and other grim sights.

The sights appear to have been viewed from a spyglass or telescope, with a viewfinder showcasing either a zoom or a long shot:

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up type of book, this is definitely not the book for you, because it’s bleak through and through. There is no plot, just a sequence of dour scenarios, but Gorey’s artistry is truly in establishing the mood through tonal values achieved with crosshatching.

Last week, I was thrilled to find an Edward Gorey pop-up, The Dwindling Party, at a bargain bookstore I regularly pop into when I go to buy lunch at the mall near our office. I didn’t even know there are Gorey pop-up books, and it was a steal at only P95,with all the flaps and pull tabs intact! Later I found out it’s an out of print book selling for at least US $55!

This is the first colored Gorey book in my collection, and also the first with a start-middle-end plot (other books have plots that go nowhere), however brief.

The story starts on the front cover, with a snippet of lyric on the bottom. Basically it’s about the MacFizzet family (parents and five children) as it sets out to visit Hickyacket Hall.

As you can probably guess by the title, the family goes through the gates and explores the estate, and the members gradually disappear because of some mishap — mostly hidden monsters — unnoticed by the rest of the family, until the end, when only little Neville remains.

It’s pretty short, with only seven spreads (including the front and backcovers) and eight stanzas, but it’s wickedly satisfying until the ending, which is printed on the back cover.

Actually, story-wise, you’re good with the front and back cover, but you really wouldn’t want to miss these:

It’s definitely my favorite Edward Gorey book now!

***

The Iron Tonic, hardcover, 3/5 stars; The Dwindling Party, hardcover 5/5 stars

books 62-63 for 2010

[amazonify]::omakase::300:250[/amazonify]