Floating Worlds

"Dear Peter,
I've spent most of the day drawing sordidly conceived and erratically hung wallpaper..."

-Edward Gorey

Floating Worlds, The Letters of Edward Gorey and Peter F. Neumeyer by Peter F. Neumeyer gives us an inside glimpse into the mind of Edward Gorey, in time capsule form. Published in September 2011 by Pomegranate Books, San Francisco, the book consists of letters between Mr. Neumeyer and Mr. Gorey between September 15, 1968 and October 28, 1969.

Peter F. Neumeyer is the author of (among many other publications) the three Edward Gorey-illustrated Donald books. The letters ostensibly concern themselves with the publication of the Donald books (as well as other unfinished/unpublished collaborations between the two), but this is just a springboard for numerous subjects from both writers. In one of the earliest letters, Mr. Gorey states that he usually does not collaborate at all with authors - he usually just does the art and moves on to the next project. This is not the case with author Neumeyer.

In the process of collaboration, the work and social habits of Mr. Gorey are illuminated far better than have ever been shown before. Mr. Gorey's letters are often written over days (with time and/or date notations), typed on a manual typewriter with hand notations. This was an incredibly busy time for Mr. Gorey who was working on multiple projects of his own and also illustrating books for several authors.

Floating Worlds is profusely illustrated with examples of the hand decorated envelopes and post cards sent to Mr. Neumeyer, which would be reason enough to make this a "must have" book, as would the introduction by Mr. Neumeyer. These are merely window dressing, however, to the main event - the correspondence between the two men.

In today's world of instant communication, it is hard to imagine the anticipation of waiting for a response to something you sent weeks (or more) previously. The only way to recreate this would be to read the letters as dated, but who can wait?!

Fine Art Prints, Part 10

We continue with Gotham Book Mart's 2002 list of prints created by Edward Gorey - and yes, we are getting close to the end of the list! Most of the prints shown on this post are available for purchase from The Edward Gorey House - edwardgoreyhouse.org - although some editions may be sold out. As with Edward Gorey's other prints, the editions were completed after his death and are available hand numbered with a facsimile signatures.

This grouping of prints are the "Thumb" series. I do not have any of these prints in my collection - I will admit that I find these images rather creepy. My favorites from the group is Thumbhenge and Three Thumbs Exercise.

#97 Thumb: Left Turn - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#98 Thumb: On the Right - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#99 All Thumbs (four) - 30/50 prints were hand signed.
#100 Thumbhenge - 30/50 prints were hand signed.
#101 Two Thumbs: Up & Left - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#102 Three Thumbs Exercise - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#103 Two Thumbs Aloft - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#104 Two Thumbs (Sistine Chapel) - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#105 Three Thumbs Up - 20/50 prints were hand signed.

Inspirations

It is always fun to recognize something that influenced Edward Gorey and his works. This past week, I received a catalog from a book dealer specializing in children's literature. While perusing the offerings, I was struck by an illustration from an early American title. At a glance, it appears to be an illustration from Edward Gorey's first miniature book, The Eclectic Abecedarium. It was actually from Whittington and His Cat published by S(olomon) King, circa 1829 - 1831.

The border design and style of art are remarkably similar to Mr. Gorey's illustrations for TEA...actually, they are pretty much exactly the same. The catalog includes a second title by King, The Scripture Alphabet for Children (circa 1830's). Also included in the catalog is a copy of the Adama printing of The Eclectic Abecedarium.

Gorey was widely read and picked up influences from many different sources. It should be no surprise that some of them are recognizable!

The Haunted Tea Cosy

The Haunted Tea Cosy; A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas by Edward Gorey was published in hardcover with an illustrated dust wrapper in 1997 by Harcourt Brace & Company, New York. The Haunted Tea Cosy is a parody of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, and introduces the Bahhum Bug, who will also appear in Mr. Gorey's final book. This story was commissioned by the New York Times and appeared in the New York Times Magazine on December 21, 1997. The Haunted Tea Cosy is included in Amphigorey Again.

The first edition of The Haunted Tea Cosy was available from Gotham Book Mart as a signed hardcover, and as a signed, slipcased limited edition with 500 numbered and 26 lettered (A to Z) copies. The signed colophon page is tipped into the book. I am showing copies #42/500 and G/26. The announcement card for this title appears below.

The Elegant Enigmas show included two pieces of original artwork from this book, and the art displays the simpler, bolder line quality that much of Mr. Gorey's work from this time period exhibits. It was interesting to be able to compare and contrast the art from this book to pieces created just a few years earlier.

2011 Edward Gorey House Prints

Each year, the Edward Gorey House produces several limited edition prints. The selection for 2011 includes a favorite Gorey image, and entire book, and a never before seen color image from the archives.

As I have stated in previous postings, I believe these prints represent one of the best buys in Gorey collecting ~ each print is wonderfully executed with attention to detail and superb color representation. The prints are available unsigned and in a signed/numbered limited edition. Each limited edition print is "signed" with an embossed facsimile of Edward Gorey's signature. To purchase prints, go the the Edward Gorey House website.

This year's selection includes:

Les Insectes Cyclistes - image: 6 5/8" x 8 7/8", paper 9 1/2" x 11 1/2" - Unsigned $25.00. Limited edition of 200 numbered ($50.00) and 26 lettered ($85.00) impressions - This iconic image was created for The Broken Spoke and the privately owned original art has been included in the Elegant Enigmas exhibition.



The Eclectic Abecedarium - image: approximately 9" x 15", paper 11" x 17" - Unsigned $35.00. Limited edition of 200 numbered ($75.00) and 26 lettered ($100.00) impressions - This print includes all the art and text from Mr. Gorey's first of two miniature books published by Bromer Booksellers. The colors on the print match the current reprint of this book title available from Pomegranate Books.

Le Higlif - image: 6 1/4 x 9.0 poster 9 1/2 x 11 1/2 - Unsigned $25.00. Limited edition of 200 numbered ($50.00) and 26 lettered ($85.00) impressions. This fantastic piece of original art from the Gorey Archives is previously unpublished, and is currently on display at the Edward Gorey House.

Article

Here is an interesting short article about Edward Gorey.

Fine Art Prints, Part 9

We continue with Gotham Book Mart's 2002 list of prints created by Edward Gorey. Most of the prints shown on this post are available for purchase from The Edward Gorey House - edwardgoreyhouse.org - although some editions are sold out. Unfortunately, I do not have large scans of many of these prints. To see the images more clearly, please reference the Gorey House web site.

#36 Elephant Ignoring The Giant Skull - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#37 Elephant in Sea Foam - 32/75 prints were hand signed.
#38 (No Publication) - This is the first bump in the numbering system of this list. Look below for the major gap which has been causing confusion since this list was published.

#39 Loch Ness Resident - 34/50 prints were hand signed.
#40 Two Resting Striped Elephants & Two Birds - 20/50 prints were hand signed.
#41 Au Secours - 17/25 prints were hand signed. I have print #8/25 in my collection. This is the second rarest print of the series (see print #11 in a previous post). This colagraph edition was never completed because the stored plate was damaged beyond repair. While each print is signed x/25, only 17 impressions will ever exist. NOTE: Prints 1 -10 are numbered x/25 but prints 11 - 17 are numbered x/50. Mr. Gorey mistakenly signed the second batch of prints with a higher edition number.
#42 Still Life with Skull Vase & Elephant - 24/50 prints were hand signed.
#43 Le Chien de Giselle (Ballerinas) - 30/50 prints were hand signed. This image comes from Pacific Book Auctions.
***The gap in the numbering system which now occurs on the GBM list had nothing to do with Edward Gorey. Mr. Gorey created prints and sent them to Gotham Book Mart to be marketed and sold. The numbering gap exists because GBM's in-house accountant was having a difficult time keeping track of all the Gorey related material being sold at the bookstore. She finally started a list to keep track of each item, and while items #44 - #94 are Gorey related, they are not prints.

#95 Bat in Rain - 75/95 prints were hand signed.
#96 Bat - 80/95 prints were hand signed. I have print #8/95 in my collection. This is arguably the most famous of Edward Gorey's etchings, and this image has appeared on t-shirts and other Gorey related merchandise.