Published in the New York Times, The New York Times Book Review (NYTBR) is a weekly supplement that first appeared in the paper in 1896. The NYTBR remains one of the most influential review forums for new literature to this day.
In 1990 Edward Gorey was commissioned by the editors of the NYTBR to create nine spot illustrations to enhance the various book genres being reviewed in the December 2nd issue. Mr. Gorey created two additional illustrations for the issue that provided inspiration for writers to submit short stories based on the images. This issue was titled A Gorey Christmas.
Each of the spot illustrations created for the supplement features three characters; a small boy, an alligator, and a robot. Fir tree branches decorated with Christmas baubles intrude into the frame of each illustration. The book categories illustrated include: Architecture, Art (pictured above), Best Books (pictured at the bottom of the post), Cooking, Gardening, Photography, Poetry, Travel, and the rather inexplicable Dying Children.
Dying Children accompanies an essay by Perri Klass about the prevalence in Victorian yuletide-themed literature of children dying before their time, a theme not dissimilar to Edward Gorey's masterwork, The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Interestingly, the Dying Children drawing is the only one from this series that does not include a book.
The NYTBR supplement also included two special illustrations by Edward Gorey created especially for this issue. These
drawings were created as inspiration for writers to compose a story
based on the images. Nine short stories were published in the
supplement. The first drawing, titled Trimming the Tree,
showed our alligator being assisted by a family while placing ornaments
on an tree out in the snow, far from the ancestral home in the
background (see the top of the post). The second, titled The Skating Party, featured the helpful robot bringing a bowl of flaming holiday punch to a skating party.
The NYTBR is the only time these whimsical drawings have been published all together, although a few of the images have appeared over the years on greeting cards. Original art images courtesy The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.
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