New Releases by Edward Gorey

On the envelopes of letters sent to a dear friend, the famed artist and writer Edward Gorey drew dozens of original illustrations—illustrations now collected in this volume along with marvelously playful selections from the correspondence, all never before seen by the public until now. From Ted to Tom will be published in the centenary year of Edward Gorey''s birth. When Tom Fitzharris met Edward "Ted" Gorey in 1974, the two quickly struck up a friendship. Over the next year Gorey sent a total of fifty letters to Fitzharris. Every envelope Fitzharris received was illustrated by Gorey, and filled with surprises: typewritten letters with news and opinions from Gorey''s life, handwritten note cards with unexpected quotes, sketches, inside jokes, and a host of other joyous miscellany. Assembled here for the first time, these envelopes and their contents deliver all the humor, imagination, gossip, and wonder that came with being Edward Gorey''s pen pal.

The inspiration for the iconic musical Cats, T. S. Eliot''s classic and delightful collection of poetry about cats. These lovable cat poems were written by T. S. Eliot for his godchildren and continue to delight children and adults alike. This collection is a curious and artful homage to felines young and old, merry and fierce, small and unmistakably round. This is the ultimate gift for cat and poetry lovers.

Our story opens with a cat stuck in a tree, an ordinary-enough occurrence. Fletcher the cat, having run up the tree in a moment of thoughtless abandon, cannot get back down. Then strange things begin to happen: Fletcher finds in his tree a steamer trunk full of hats, and among the hats a papier-mâché egg that opens to reveal Zenobia, a worldly talking doll who was locked in the egg by an unfeeling child named Mabel. To cheer each other up, Fletcher and Zenobia decide to throw a party, complete with cake, peach ice cream, and punch from a silver punch bowl. The hats come in handy, and a moth, drawn to the festivities, soon becomes the vehicle of an unexpected escape plan. A story of metamorphosis and friendship, like The Owl and the Pussycat crossed with Alice in Wonderland, Fletcher and Zenobia is a wildly imaginative tale of wish fulfillment and freedom. At once silly and zany, it is not without a certain delicacy of feeling that older children, and adults, will also appreciate.

A rare and irreverent, previously unpublished story by the late author of The Wuggly Ump profiles offbeat Saint Melissa, whose canonization occurred despite her Miracles of Destruction, through which she would induce migraines, refine lust and set supernatural traps that have yet to be sprung. 15,000 first printing.

Edward Gorey and Peter Neumeyer met in the summer of 1968. Gorey had been contracted by Addison-Wesley to illustrate "Donald and the...," a childrens story written by Neumeyer. On their first encounter, Neumeyer managed to dislocate Goreys shoulder when he grabbed his arm to keep him from falling into the ocean. In a hospital waiting room, they pored over Goreys drawings for the first time together, and Gorey infused the situation with much hilarity. This was the beginning of an invigorating friendship, fueled by a wealth of letters and postcards that sped between the two men through the fall of 1969. Those letters, published here for the first time, are remarkable in their quantity and their content. While the creative collaborations of Gorey and Neumeyer centered on illustrated books, they held wide-ranging interests; both were erudite, voracious readers, and they sent each other many volumes. Reading their discussions of these books, one marvels at the beauty of thoughtful (and merry) discourse driven by intellectual curiosity. The letters also paint an intimate portrait of Edward Gorey, a man often mischaracterized as macabre or even ghoulish. His gentleness, humility, and brilliance--interwoven with his distinctive humor--shine in these letters; his deft artistic hand is evident on the decorated envelopes addressed to Neumeyer, 38 of which are reproduced here. During the time of their correspondence, Peter Neumeyer was teaching at Harvard University and at SUNY Stony Brook, on Long Island. His acumen and compassion, expressed in his discerning, often provocative missives, reveal him to be an ideal creative and intellectual ally for Gorey. More than anything else, "Floating Worlds" is the moving memoir of an extraordinary friendship. Gorey wrote that he felt they were part of the same family, and I dont mean just metaphorically. I guess that even more than I think of you as a friend,

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.

Fetching young Hamish prefers life in the great outdoors. One day he mistakenly opens an envelope. Sudden wealth from movie stardom leads Hamish to raising lions. But the newfound fame frustrates him, so he chooses the big cats over the big screen. With charming, distinctive pen-and-ink drawings coupled with characteristically succinct text, Edward Gorey leads us--as only he can do--through the mysterious circumstances that envelop Hamish on a long journey that begins with a single misstep. First published in 1973 and long out of print, " The Lost Lions" is an ever-popular Gorey classic.

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.

"One of Mr. Gorey''s wordless masterworks." --New York Times

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. 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.

Finally, back in print! Edward Gorey''s CATEGORY was first published by Gotham Book Mart in 1974. The English language edition has been out of print for decades. One of Gorey''s most beloved books, CATEGORY collects a series of fifty cat vignettes, originally created by the artist as accompaniments to a limited edition of his book Amphigorey. Gorey once said, "I can''t conceive of a life without cats." Now Gorey fans and cat lovers alike won''t have to conceive of a world without CATEGOREY. Edward Gorey (1925-2000) may be best known for his mildly unsettling illustrated tales and cautionary alphabets—The Deranged Cousins, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and The Doubtful Guest, among many others. He was also a playwright, an award-winning set and costume designer, and the creator of the animated introductions to the PBS series Mystery!

Edward Gorey''s mordant masterpiece The Wuggly Ump charts the fate of three wholesome children whose happy days weaving chains of flowers are cut short when the mysterious Wuggly Ump hurtles from its den in search of tasty tots. Set to deceptively pleasant rhymes and illustrated in Gorey''s inimitable style, this lighthearted and mildly unsettling cautionary tale has delighted legions of Gorey fans since its first publication in 1963. This brand-new edition is a faithful reproduction for old and new fans alike to treasure. In addition to writing and illustrating more than one hundred books, 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! 32 pages with 14 color illustrations. Smyth-sewn casebound book with jacket. Size: 6 x 5."

With his typically dark, droll humor, Edward Gorey presents the transformation of Maudie Splaytoe, a girl prone to staring at dead birds, into Mirella Splatova, a chic and mysterious prima ballerina. This woeful tale chronicles an ascent to the peak of fame, followed by an unexpected and dreadful demise. Gorey''s exquisitely crafted illustrations of magical ballets, elegant drawing rooms, and stark apartments set the stage for this melodrama starring a slightly peculiar heroine. Faithfully re-released in this superb new edition, The Gilded Bat is one of the hundred or so eerily fanciful illustrated tales created by Edward Gorey (1925-2000) to the delight of his adoring fans. Gorey was also a playwright, an award-winning set and costume designer, and the creator of the animated introductions to the PBS series Mystery!

Chinese edition of Dracula, the classic. This edition also contains the illustrations by one of America!!As artistic geniuses Edward Gorey whose set design for the stage production of Dracula earned him a Tony.

This 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. 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.

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 utterly absurd, The Willowdale Handcar is vintage Edward Gorey.

Calendar spanning Dec. 29, 2004 through Jan. 2, 2005.

In this enigmatic, surreal, wonderfully entertaining tale, three mysterious figures set out from Willowdale, traveling by handcar. At once deeply vexing and utterly hilarious, darkly mysterious and amusingly absurd, "The Willowdale Handcar" is vintage Gorey.

For Gorey fanatics (you know who you are), this page-a-day calendar provides a year''s worth of comic relief with excerpts from a variety of Edward Gorey''s publications.