The Edward Gorey Summer Cocktail Soiree

The excitement is building as the time approaches for the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust Summer Cocktail Soiree. The site is open to purchase tickets to the event and also to view and place bids on the numerous lots of rare works and personal items being offered this year's silent auction. Visit the party site HERE (registration with fee is required to place bids on auction items).

In addition to placing bids for the online auction, you can also outright buy three items being offered (an additional buy it now item has already sold out)! Two limited edition prints featuring color artwork created by Edward Gorey have been specially created by The Trust, both of which are available for immediate purchase. The first print The Galoshes of Remorse was created for the March 22,1993 issue of The New Yorker magazine. This amusing vignette is captioned with a banner reading, “Frivolity, at the edge of a Moral Swamp, hears Hymn-Singing in the Distance and dons the Galoshes of Remorse.”

The second print, Ancient Survivals reproduces images from suite of ink and watercolor drawings made for The Worsted Monster : A Medieval Tale, an unfinished story by Edward Gorey (ca. 1954). The three drawings are titled Classical Spectre, Tattooed Eccentric, and Ancient Survivals. Both of these prints are limited to 50 numbered copies and can be purchased now.

The other item(s) available for immediate purchase are ten copies from the 1980 vintage edition of F.M.R.A. Published in an edition of 426 copies - 400 numbered copies and 26 lettered copies, each housed in a clamshell box, these are the publisher's remaining ten copies of this rare work which have been waiting patiently for 44 years to enhance the collections of today's eager Gorey enthusiasts. Each of the copies in the edition has been hand signed and numbered by Edward Gorey at the time of publication. When donating these final copies for inclusion in this auction, publisher Andrew Alpern has personally hand signed each copy, making these ten boxed sets with both signatures very rare indeed! 

Bid and buy now, these rarities are only available now!

 

Happy Independence Day!

 Happy Independence Day!

From Figbash and Goreyana

A Presentation on Edward Gorey by Ken Morton

On September 24, 2018 Ken Morton gave a presentation about Edward Gorey that was captured on video for Tales of Cape Cod. Mr. Morton is on the Board of Directors of The Edward Gorey House museum. He is also a second cousin of Mr. Gorey's.

Ken Morton grew up with Edward Gorey as a presence in his life and the half hour presentation is full of rare insights and family stories. Mr. Morton shares many candid family photos and images of some never published early artworks.

This captivating presentation is available to experience on YouTube HERE.

Auction News

Doyle Auction House in New York City held The Collection of Stephen Sondheim auction on Thursday June 18, 2024. Amongst the personal memorabilia, antiques, artworks, and antique board games being offered were two lots of books by Edward Gorey.

 The first lot consisted of four books including The Tunnel Calamity (first edition accordion book), Q.R.V. The Universal Solvent (first trade edition), The Eclectic Abecedarium (first signed limited edition miniature book), and The Twelve Terrors of Christmas by John Updike (illustrated by Mr. Gorey, first trade edition). All books in this lot were hand signed by Mr. Gorey.

With a pre-sale estimate of $200.00 - $300.00, this lot sold for just over $1400.00 (with buyer's premium).

The next lot consisted of two first edition books - The Doubtful Guest and Phantasmagorey. Both of these books have been personally inscribed to Mr. Sondheim.

These exceptional treasures had a pre-sale estimate of $500.00 to $800.00 and sold for just over $3500.00 (with buyer's premium).

While none of the books from this auction will be entering my collection, I do have a wonderful letter from Mr. Sondheim to someone named Joe, thanking him for the gift of a book by Edward Gorey and commenting on his Gorey book collection. (see my post from December 13, 2021 - https://goreyana.blogspot.com/2021/12/sondheim-collects-gorey.html. As an avid admirer of both men and their works, this letter is something of a Holy Grail in my collection.

A Visit, A Party & A New Book

This past weekend, Bill and I had the pleasure of a visit to our home from Carol Verburg. Ms. Verburg is an author, playwright, theatrical director and producer. She was also a personal friend of Edward Gorey and produced many of his Cape Cod theatrical entertainments in the 1990's. Our visit passed much too quickly and we look forward to spending time with her again.

In addition to her previously published books on Edward Gorey's Cape Cod theatricals, Ms. Verburg has a new volume being published in October titled The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey. For more information on this upcoming book, go HERE.

Carol Verburg will be the featured guest at the upcoming Edward Gorey Summer Cocktail Soiree on Thursday July 31. She will give a brief talk at the event. This annual party is a fundraiser for The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and will be held at the Strand Book Store in New York City. Tickets for the event are now on sale HERE. The event will once again include a silent auction.
 

Happy Birthday Mr. Punch!

 

First mentioned on May 9, 1662 in Samuel Pepys' diary, today is Mr. Punch's 362 birthday! Edward Gorey created this fantastic full color poster in 1993 for Mystery! on PBS. For more on the history of Punch & Judy, visit this post by the Victoria and Albert Museum!

Edward Gorey House 2024 Exhibition

The Edward Gorey House opens its 2024 exhibition Exquisite Corpse; Edward Gorey's Movable Books on April 4th. The exhibition focuses on Mr. Gorey's fascination with books as interactive objects. 

While the act of reading a book is an interaction between an author and his audience, pop-up, accordion pleated, and cut apart books take that engagement one step further, often blurring the line between book and toy.

These publications can only be fully experienced through the physical interaction of the reader in the same way that a toy can be admired, but only comes alive when played with. The artwork included in the exhibition explores Edward Gorey's imagination and the precision with which he created these works.

For more information and to plan your visit, go to www.edwardgoreyhouse.org. Now it also the time to renew or take out a House Membership to enjoy many benefits including discounts from the online and in person Gorey Store.

Images courtesy The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and The Edward Gorey House.