[.ca] Amphigorey (ISBN 0399504338)

From Amazon.com:
The title of this deliciously creepy collection of Gorey's work stems from the word amphigory, meaning a nonsense verse or composition. As always, Gorey's painstakingly cross- hatched pen and ink drawings are perfectly suited to his oddball verse and prose. The first book of 15, "The Unstrung Harp," describes the writing process of novelist Mr. Clavius Frederick Earbrass: "He must be mad to go on enduring the unexquisite agony of writing when it all turns out drivel." In "The Listing Attic," you'll find a set of quirky limericks such as "A certain young man, it was noted, / Went about in the heat thickly coated; / He said, 'You may scoff, / But I shan't take it off; / Underneath I am horribly bloated.' " Many of Gorey's tales involve untimely deaths and dreadful mishaps, but much like tragic Irish ballads with their perky rhythms and melodies, they come off as strangely lighthearted. "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," for example, begins like this: "A is for AMY who fell down the stairs, B is for BASIL assaulted by bears," and so on. An eccentric, funny book for either the uninitiated or diehard Gorey fans.

Journey into the Dark:
The singular career of Edward Gorey is quite impossible to adequately characterize, in part because his work articulates the tension between exaggerated opposites at every step. The style of his work and the simplicity of his verse superficially resemble books for children, but the intense macabre of his stories and their relentless existential interrogations bely our every tendency to treat him lightly. Likewise, though there is an unmistakeable cartoonish-quality to his illustation, close examination reveals an astonishing precision, care, and attention to detail. I think this explains in part the curious power and profundity that his images convey. Like myth, his stories present and in some way mediate the deep paradoxes of our experience. His stories are short, much as the poems of the Modernist poets are short. It is not that Gorey has little to say; rather, he speaks so well that precious few words are required. Complementing Gorey's stylistic precision and excellence, the images that surface from his best tales are unmistakeably illuminating in the curious way that parable is illuminating. Something is communicated, but it is difficult to say exactly what it is. Gorey is a singular emmisary of the Dream Works, wholely and unmistakeably himself in each stroke of the pen. These compendia are great treasures.

Wowwy Wow Wow Wow:
Amazing. Simply amazing. Everyone should own this book. Actually, a great many people would probably hate this book. Buy this book only if you think that dead baby jokes are funny. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: Edward Gorey is a frickin genius.

Madly Morbid and Sadistically Savouring:
You have not fully lived until you have read Amphigorey! With it's delightful pieces of artwork and sometimes unintellgible use of verse Edward Gorey's first fifteen books come together in what I would call a brilliant spectacle of cloaked and sometimes deceased spectres. With stories such as The Hapless Child a story my fifty year old father described as sad and twistedly morbid (needless to say he never asked to look at the book again) and The Curious Sofa a story that hints pornographic ideals but does not detail or embellish them will revoulting sex scenes...the story's lines just merely plant naughty thoughts in your head and your brain travels on from there, it is a classic book, a book I've cherished for years and would love to see referred to as a classic work of art rather than mere fiction and humor!

Brilliant:
This is a classic volume of dark humour. But that's not all it is. Edward Gorey has created not just quirky limericks, not just hilarious stories of macabre, and not just pages of delicous nonsense. He has created his own _universe_. The Amphigorey universe is filled with a mood that Gorey has perfected. The dark niceties fit together to create this mood like a puzzle--everything from his Neo-Victorian cross-hatchwork, Edwardian character names, even the font. Amphigorey is an hilarious gothic masterpiece.

A bizarre and beautiful book!:
The artwork in Amphigorey is absolutely amazing. The style is reminiscent of a very old cartoon. Every single frame of each story is so detailed, and the lines are so intricate and precise, it's as if Gorey spent days on each drawing. The stories which are illustrated by these drawings are very creepy. Many of the stories are incredibly pointless. Some of them end awfully, others don't really end at all. Some aren't stories, but rather collections of poems with a title. At times, things get quite disgusting. For example, in one set of alphabetical poems entitled "The Fatal Lozenge," the last poem goes like this: The ZOUAVE used to war and battle Would sooner take a life than not: It scarcely has begun to prattle When he impales a hapless tot. This is accompanied by an illustration of a baby pinned through its abdomen with a sword and blood dripping down. But no matter what, everything in this collection is interesting and unique. This book is at no time dull or boring. Plus, it makes a great conversation piece. I love showing people my Amphigorey book! Most people have never heard of Edward Gorey and are entirely surprised that such a bizarre book even exists. In any case, if you don't already have it, you should definitely get this book! It's such a great thing to have around the house, you'll never regret owning it!