Edward Gorey (1925–2000) was born in Chicago. He studied briefly at the Art Institute of Chicago, spent three years in the army testing poison gas, and attended Harvard College, where he majored in French literature and roomed with the poet Frank O’Hara. In 1953 Gorey published The Unstrung Harp, the first of his many extraordinary books, which include The Curious Sofa, The Haunted Tea Cosy, and The Epiplectic Bicycle. In addition to illustrating his own books, Gorey provided drawings to countless books for both children and adults. Of these, New York Review Books has published The Haunted Looking Glass, a collection of Gothic tales that he selected and illustrated; The War of the Worlds, the pioneering work of science fiction by
H. G. Wells; Men and Gods, a retelling of ancient Greek myths by Rex Warner; and Three Ladies Beside the Sea and He Was There From the Day We Moved In, in collaboration with Rhoda Levine.
Books
The Unrest-Cure and Other Stories
“Weird, but in a good way” is how The Guardian describes Saki’s fantastical stories, set in Edwardian drawing rooms and garden parties. The same words might be used to describe the illustrations Edward Gorey drew for this selection of Saki’s work, originally commissioned by a Swiss publisher, and never before widely available in an English-language edition.
He Was There From the Day We Moved In
Does the dog want dinner? a lollipop? a stray cat? conversation? No, what the dog wants is—a name! But you can’t just choose any name for a grown-up dog. No, it has to be the right name.
Three Ladies Beside the Sea
Wickedly funny and delightfully sad, Three Ladies Beside the Sea is a tale of love found, love lost, and love never-ending. Edward Gorey’s off-kilter Edwardian maidens are the perfect accompaniment to opera librettist Rhoda Levine’s lilting rhymes.
Men and Gods
Edward Gorey’s drawings complement this modern retelling of some of the most beloved myths of ancient Greece. Men and Gods is wonderful introduction to these thrilling tales for the uninitiated and the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted with them.
The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells’s spellbinding account of an invasion from outer space is the first and still the best of its genre.
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.