daniell's review against another edition
5.0
Edward Gorey is the boss of short art horror comedy fun.
meecespieces's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Racism
laurelinwonder's review against another edition
In my not so humble opinion, Edward Gorey's work has really stood the test of time. I really enjoyed the illustration as well as reading this aloud to my son.
bluenicorn's review against another edition
4.0
Love Edward Gorey. The stories are excellent- in their peculiar, delightfully weird way. The illustrations remind me of the days of PBS Mystery!, which is awesome. And this one features a kind of Choose-your-own-adventure, before its time. That was neat. Just an excellent collection- even the ones that I finish reading and think 'Um... what?' are wonderful in their own, absurd way.
antlersantlers's review against another edition
4.0
Favorites: the Galoshes of Remorse, the Universal Solvent, Scenes de Ballet, Verse Advice, Creativity, the Neglected Murderess series, and Tragedies Topiares.
cheshirecat123's review against another edition
3.0
While the drawings are fantastic, I really did not get the point of the writing!
p0tat0's review against another edition
5.0
An amusing collection of Gorey works that showcases the amazing breadth of his talent and imagination. Some particular favorites of mine were "Neglected Murderesses," "The Other Statue," "The Universal Solvent," and "The Deadly Blotter."
calistareads's review against another edition
3.0
This is the weakest collection of the 4 by Edward Gorey. I feel like this is where the leftovers ended up. There are a few great stories in the collection, but there were many things that are short and haven’t been published. I will put the unpublished reviews in this and otherwise just list the titles. I feel the first 3 Amphigorey’s are worth it and a collector could do without this one.
The Galoshes of Remorse
Signs of Spring
Seasonal Confusion
Random Walk
Categorey: 50 drawings
The Other Statue
10 Impossible Objects
The Universal Solvent
Scenes de Ballet
Verse Advice
The Deadly Blotter
Creativity
The retrieved Locket
The Water Flowers
The Haunted Tea-Cosy: a Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas
Christmas Wrap-Up
The Headless Bust: a Melancholy Meditation on the False Millennium
The Just Dessert: thoughtful Alphabet XI
The Admonitory Hippopotamus: or, Angelica and Sneezby
Neglected Murderesses
Tragedies Topiares
The Raging Tide: or, the Black Doll’s Imbroglio
The Unknown Vegetable
Another Random Walk
Serious Life: A Cruise
Figbash Acrobate
La Malle Saignante: the Bleeding Trunk
The Izzard Book
Of the 4 collections of Edward’s works, this is the weakest. There are few good works in it and it does feel like it’s the leftovers and miscellany. I’m still glad I read this collection.
The is the last of his own works. He has many pictures for other people’s books but those aren’t collected. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these Gorey stories. He is unique and odd. No one does stuff like this and who could make a living at it. It defies genre and age and everything in the publishing industry. I will miss not having any more Gorey stories to read.
The following are only available in this collection and here are my short reviews. They did not have single publication entries in Goodreads:
The Galoshes of Remorse: 3*
A single frame of a picture. That’s all it is. A woman in the swamp. It has very sexual imagery. This is about a loose woman.
Signs of Spring {1988} 3*:
Little vignettes about signs in NYC that spring is here. I love the last set of the woman in a huge red frilly outfit who gets caught in the rain. Totally random.
Categorey: 50 drawings {1974} 2*:
50 drawings with a cat doing different things in them and there is a number for each frame. This didn’t really speak to me. It’s more of a college art project. I expect more. So far this volume feels like left- overs of Gorey. This is little substance.
The Universal Solvent {1989} 3*:
9 tiny pictures with 2 lines of rhyming text. They are more like little advertisements. Q.R.V. is the product, it must be the universal solvent and each add is totally different and absurd. I appreciate the humor, but it could have been better art.
Scenes de Ballet 3*:
These are one panel pictures with a scene from a ballet in them. They are amusing. I love his stuff with the theatre. There isn’t a whole lot here. His costumes and artwork are amazing and some of them remind me of Erte, who I also love, so it’s a great blend.
Creativity 2*
8 drawings of elephants in different and unique ways. Not much here
Another Random Walk 2*:
This little story is composed of 4 frames on one page, each with a line of text. Short and sweet it is. Some men get the idea to open a shop that has 1 item for sell a day. It is in color. I’m rather neutral about it.
Christmas Wrap-Up 2* Holiday
A colored one paneled picture of a family with their giant potted plant that they are wrapping with Christmas paper. It’s all it is. Not much here.
The Admonitory Hippopotamus: or, Angelica and Sneezby 2* poetry:
Gorey has written a 3 page poem here about a Hippopotamus who seems to keep this woman out of trouble. She never learns from her mistakes which make it sound like she murders, steals and other things. The hippo warns her and she flees. She dies at 86 and the Hippo carries her away. It was strange and interesting, but it didn’t move me or really engage my mind.
Tragedies Topiares 3*:
Another series of postcards with the theme being shaped shrubs in the shape of bathtubs, cannons and other things. The words are French and I assume we can figure them out by what the picture is about. There isn’t a caption for this set. People do die in this one as well. He loves his details in his artwork. The man was an odd bird, which is why he has such a fanbase I’m sure.
Serious Life: A Cruise 3*:
Another little story in color. This is two pages of 8 pictures tell the story of a woman falling for a man and his mustache only to find out everything about the man is fake and the woman throws herself overboard. C’est droll I suppose. This is like a passing thought, it’s there and gone and really you don’t remember it again. I didn’t think much of it.
La Malle Saignante: the Bleeding Trunk 3*:
This is told in both French and English. I do wonder if he was fluent in French as he uses French throughout his works. I assumed he knew enough, but this piece makes me think he knows his French.
This story also feels more like an opera. The story doesn’t make sense either. The end does not seem to match the beginning.
We start with a women running from an alligator in the sewer. She exits into a street brawl and then goes looking for the ambassador. She goes to see her father and more confusing characters join us. She dances with a baron and the ambassador doesn’t show up and the story seems to end in the middle of it. It feels like this wasn’t finished to me. I wonder if this is like an unfinished work. I’ll have to look it up.
The artwork is hyper-detailed. It’s beautiful. The story is senseless and not really funny either. This is an odd one I don’t know what to make of it.
This collection of Amphigorey again has been disappointing. There have been a few good stories, while the rest disappoint.
The Izzard Book 4*:
This is unfinished. There are 3-4 frames at the end with bare outlines of the picture. The words are under the pictures, but 2 of them are completely blank. The rest of them are beautifully detailed pictures.
This is about the letter Z and Edward found all these historical words beginning with Z that we don’t hear of often and did a little depiction of them. I love learning new Z words.
Zadkiel is an angel. There is Ziph, Zingaro, Zenobia, Zuleika, Zwieback, Zeno, Zmyrna - which is an epic poem with only 3 surviving lines, Zeugma - a figure of speech. There is Zenodotus - the head of the Alexandrian library, Zeuxis, Zosimus and lastly Zetetic. Those are some good words. There were others that I knew of. It’s too bad he didn’t finish this one. Zosimus and Zetetic are both blank. I enjoy his wordplay in stuff like this.
This is the last of Amphigorey Again.
The Galoshes of Remorse
Signs of Spring
Seasonal Confusion
Random Walk
Categorey: 50 drawings
The Other Statue
10 Impossible Objects
The Universal Solvent
Scenes de Ballet
Verse Advice
The Deadly Blotter
Creativity
The retrieved Locket
The Water Flowers
The Haunted Tea-Cosy: a Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas
Christmas Wrap-Up
The Headless Bust: a Melancholy Meditation on the False Millennium
The Just Dessert: thoughtful Alphabet XI
The Admonitory Hippopotamus: or, Angelica and Sneezby
Neglected Murderesses
Tragedies Topiares
The Raging Tide: or, the Black Doll’s Imbroglio
The Unknown Vegetable
Another Random Walk
Serious Life: A Cruise
Figbash Acrobate
La Malle Saignante: the Bleeding Trunk
The Izzard Book
Of the 4 collections of Edward’s works, this is the weakest. There are few good works in it and it does feel like it’s the leftovers and miscellany. I’m still glad I read this collection.
The is the last of his own works. He has many pictures for other people’s books but those aren’t collected. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these Gorey stories. He is unique and odd. No one does stuff like this and who could make a living at it. It defies genre and age and everything in the publishing industry. I will miss not having any more Gorey stories to read.
The following are only available in this collection and here are my short reviews. They did not have single publication entries in Goodreads:
The Galoshes of Remorse: 3*
A single frame of a picture. That’s all it is. A woman in the swamp. It has very sexual imagery. This is about a loose woman.
Signs of Spring {1988} 3*:
Little vignettes about signs in NYC that spring is here. I love the last set of the woman in a huge red frilly outfit who gets caught in the rain. Totally random.
Categorey: 50 drawings {1974} 2*:
50 drawings with a cat doing different things in them and there is a number for each frame. This didn’t really speak to me. It’s more of a college art project. I expect more. So far this volume feels like left- overs of Gorey. This is little substance.
The Universal Solvent {1989} 3*:
9 tiny pictures with 2 lines of rhyming text. They are more like little advertisements. Q.R.V. is the product, it must be the universal solvent and each add is totally different and absurd. I appreciate the humor, but it could have been better art.
Scenes de Ballet 3*:
These are one panel pictures with a scene from a ballet in them. They are amusing. I love his stuff with the theatre. There isn’t a whole lot here. His costumes and artwork are amazing and some of them remind me of Erte, who I also love, so it’s a great blend.
Creativity 2*
8 drawings of elephants in different and unique ways. Not much here
Another Random Walk 2*:
This little story is composed of 4 frames on one page, each with a line of text. Short and sweet it is. Some men get the idea to open a shop that has 1 item for sell a day. It is in color. I’m rather neutral about it.
Christmas Wrap-Up 2* Holiday
A colored one paneled picture of a family with their giant potted plant that they are wrapping with Christmas paper. It’s all it is. Not much here.
The Admonitory Hippopotamus: or, Angelica and Sneezby 2* poetry:
Gorey has written a 3 page poem here about a Hippopotamus who seems to keep this woman out of trouble. She never learns from her mistakes which make it sound like she murders, steals and other things. The hippo warns her and she flees. She dies at 86 and the Hippo carries her away. It was strange and interesting, but it didn’t move me or really engage my mind.
Tragedies Topiares 3*:
Another series of postcards with the theme being shaped shrubs in the shape of bathtubs, cannons and other things. The words are French and I assume we can figure them out by what the picture is about. There isn’t a caption for this set. People do die in this one as well. He loves his details in his artwork. The man was an odd bird, which is why he has such a fanbase I’m sure.
Serious Life: A Cruise 3*:
Another little story in color. This is two pages of 8 pictures tell the story of a woman falling for a man and his mustache only to find out everything about the man is fake and the woman throws herself overboard. C’est droll I suppose. This is like a passing thought, it’s there and gone and really you don’t remember it again. I didn’t think much of it.
La Malle Saignante: the Bleeding Trunk 3*:
This is told in both French and English. I do wonder if he was fluent in French as he uses French throughout his works. I assumed he knew enough, but this piece makes me think he knows his French.
This story also feels more like an opera. The story doesn’t make sense either. The end does not seem to match the beginning.
We start with a women running from an alligator in the sewer. She exits into a street brawl and then goes looking for the ambassador. She goes to see her father and more confusing characters join us. She dances with a baron and the ambassador doesn’t show up and the story seems to end in the middle of it. It feels like this wasn’t finished to me. I wonder if this is like an unfinished work. I’ll have to look it up.
The artwork is hyper-detailed. It’s beautiful. The story is senseless and not really funny either. This is an odd one I don’t know what to make of it.
This collection of Amphigorey again has been disappointing. There have been a few good stories, while the rest disappoint.
The Izzard Book 4*:
This is unfinished. There are 3-4 frames at the end with bare outlines of the picture. The words are under the pictures, but 2 of them are completely blank. The rest of them are beautifully detailed pictures.
This is about the letter Z and Edward found all these historical words beginning with Z that we don’t hear of often and did a little depiction of them. I love learning new Z words.
Zadkiel is an angel. There is Ziph, Zingaro, Zenobia, Zuleika, Zwieback, Zeno, Zmyrna - which is an epic poem with only 3 surviving lines, Zeugma - a figure of speech. There is Zenodotus - the head of the Alexandrian library, Zeuxis, Zosimus and lastly Zetetic. Those are some good words. There were others that I knew of. It’s too bad he didn’t finish this one. Zosimus and Zetetic are both blank. I enjoy his wordplay in stuff like this.
This is the last of Amphigorey Again.