E is for Edward

E is for Edward 

Just in time for the holiday season, E is for Edward, A Centennial Celebration of the Mischievous Mind of Edward Gorey by Gregory Hischak and The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2025) is the one volume that should be on every Gorey enthusiast's holiday gift list and bookshelf, provided the shelf is sufficiently reinforced.

E is for Enlightening

In 2020 The Edward Gorey House began producing an annual booklet as a membership premium. These compact illustrated pamphlets offer insights into the current exhibition on display at the museum each year. Specific interpretations of different points may sometimes vary among enthusiasts, but Director Gregory Hischak fills these small treasures with stunning graphics and well researched background information relating to the House's themed annual shows. Using these booklets as a springboard, E is for Edward gathered together the information contained in each of the five keepsakes, turning them into chapters that have been expanded with additional in-depth research and illustrations.

E is for Entertaining

The book not only includes insightful essays on Edward Gorey's works, it also reproduces many previously unpublished pieces of art as well as a smattering of family photos of Gorey from his childhood days and throughout his life. 

E is for Exquisite

Over the past several years, the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust has taken on the daunting task of documenting everything in the Gorey Archive. This includes creating new scans of every piece of art in the archive. This monumental ongoing project employs the latest in digital scanning methods and the results are evident in this new book. Beautifully executed, this volume also employs the most up to date digital printing techniques which, in combination with the new scans, gives the reader the ability to study the nuances of Edward Gorey's original drawings.

E is for Exercise

This is one massive volume, both in scale and weight. As soon as the book began arriving from the publishers, everyone I know who received their copy commented that this is not a coffee table book, it is the coffee table itself. At 11" by 12" and weighing in at over 5.5 pounds, this is a book that commands your attention and also requires a sturdy table and chair to enjoy, as it is a bit large and heavy to cozy up with on the sofa. This is not a design flaw, but rather one of the book's virtues. The generous size and scale of the book allows for beautiful reproductions of Edward Gorey's artworks on practically every page, giving the volume the feel that one is experiencing a guided tour of a private exhibition chronicling the artist's work and life.

E is for Everyone

I am often asked what book would be appropriate for someone wanting to learn more about the life and works of Edward Gorey. This highly readable illustrated volume will be my standard answer from this time forward. Everyone from novices to knowledgeable collectors will find noteworthy information and compelling artworks contained within the pages of E is for Edward.