A Gorey Tale from Rome

Fans of Edward Gorey can turn up anywhere, even in the Vatican. About fifteen years ago I was corresponding with Cuthbert Thambimbuttu (1945 - 2019), an insatiable book collector known to many dealers, fellow collectors, and authors as "Tubby" about all things Edward Gorey. Mr. Thambimbuttu was a devoted and persistent collector of signed editions by authors he admired and respected. Edward Gorey was among the authors whose works he sought out.

In an email dated February 21, 2011, Mr. Thambimbuttu told me an origin story about the image Edward Gorey created that has become known as The John Locke Quote. John Locke (1632 - 1704) was an English philosopher and physician whose work and views have influenced writers, philosophers and political thinkers to this day. 

The quote, hand lettered by Edward Gorey, tells of the perils of books in general, and the moral pitfalls that befall anyone who comes into contact with them professionally. Illustrated with a witty color image of an obsessive book collector clutching a volume just after he has caused the previous owner to fall over the edge of a cliff, this delightful image was printed as an oversized folded stationary card by The Gotham Book Mart. The 7" x 8.5" card is printed on regular paper stock and was issued without envelopes. 

Mr. Thambibuttu related that Andreas Brown (1933 - 2020), owner of The Gotham Book Mart and one of the original trustees of The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, had been sent a copy of the Locke quote by Fr. William Sheehan (1937 - 2018). Fr. Sheehan was originally from New York and in 1986 had become the Director of the Incunabula Catalog Department - Printed Books at the Vatican Library in Rome. Fr. Sheehan had contacted Mr. Brown to see if Edward Gorey could "make anything fitting" using the quote as inspiration. The stationary card was Edward Gorey's response to the request.

Auction News

The Fine Books and Manuscripts auction held at Bohnam's Auctions in New York City on Tuesday April 8th included three pieces of original illustration art by Edward Gorey. (The image above is a detail from the third piece discussed below).

The first of the three is an illustration from Hauntings, Tales of the Supernatural, a collection of stories published in 1968 by Doubleday. The artwork shows three vignette's for John Collier's 1940 short story Thus I Refute Beelzy. The individual drawings are not only beautifully and precisely drawn but are artfully arranged on the page to indicate the story progression. This piece of art sold for $5632.00 (including the buyer's premium).

The second piece illustrates a poem by Felice Holman titled Finding Out from her 1970 book, At the Top of My Voice and Other Poems. This sweet image shows a young girl going to look at a flower. On closer inspection she discovers an ant, and the two pause to contemplate one another. The delicately drawn image sold for $5376.00 (including buyer's premium).

The final piece in this sale is a true rarity. Edward Gorey published selected images from Leaves From A Mislaid Album in First Person magazine in 1960. The full collection of 17 single images with no text was eventually published as a limited edition primary work in 1972 by The Gotham Book Mart. The collection of loose drawings were packaged in a folded portfolio housed in an illustrated envelope. 

Edward Gorey made it a point of not selling original artwork from his primary publications. During his lifetime, Mr. Gorey only sold art from two primary works - The Broken Spoke and Leaves From A Mislaid Album. While quite a few pieces from The Broken Spoke have appeared in collections or have been offered on the market over the years, this is one of only three pieces from Leaves that have been offered for sale (according to my research and knowledge). 

Expressively rendered by the artist in his "loose" painterly style (pen & ink line work with areas of painted wash for dramatic effect), this exquisite Femme Fatale sold for $14,080.00 (including buyer's premium).
 

The Centennary Exhibition at The Edward Gorey House

The Edward Gorey House opens for the season on Thursday April 10th with Concealing the Art. The show delves into the repetitive themes that appear in Gorey's art throughout his career, often without comment or explanation by the artist. The show runs through December 28th, 2025. For more information on the exhibit, The House, and membership, visit https://www.edwardgoreyhouse.org/pages/2025-exhibit