465 Buttons

 

 

Are you longing for 465 Edward Gorey designed pin back buttons (109 English Soup buttons shown above)? How about 203 Gorey rubber stamps (some used), or for the true fanatic - 1645 I Saw Dracula T-Shirts in several sizes.

Collectors are prone to hoarding items that we love both as individual objects and occasionally single items in quantity. Both of these collecting interests will be well satisfied at The Great Gotham Gorey Collection auction at Ashcroft and Moore Auction Gallery on April 1. The Gotham Book Mart closed in 2007 and the items in this auction were store inventory that was packed away at that time. There are many unusual promotional posters and (literally) piles of books. To view the items, visit their website or view pieces on Live Auctioneers.

2021 Edward Gorey House Exhibition

 

The Edward Gorey House has announced Hapless Children as the theme for this years exhibition which opens April 8 and runs through the end of 2021. Children in peril was a major theme in Edward Gorey's works. Youngsters in his books, illustrations, and prints often found themselves in situations that would defeat most adults, yet his children remain stoic in the face of adversity hoping to live until their next birthday.

For more information and to plan your visit to The Edward Gorey house, visit their webiste HERE

 

Murderesses Television Series

It has been announced that AMC is working on a live action series based on Edward Gorey's Neglected Murderesses postcard set. The announcement in Variety appears HERE.

First appearing in Murderess Ink (Workman Publishing, New York, 1979), Neglected Murderesses is a collection of twelve ruthless women - are all killers who disposed of their victims in novel ways. Each enterprising femme fatale is represented as a single image postcard image with a brief, amusing history. One of Mr. Gorey's most reprinted sets, these cards have appeared in no less than 6 publications.

Happy Valentine's Day

 

 A St. Valentine's Day advertisement for The Hapless Child by Edward Gorey, 1961.

Fan Mail

Like most authors, Edward Gorey received fan mail of all sorts. In the pre-social media days of the 1980's and 90's requests for autographs and written responses to questions arrived through the mail with increasing frequency. His address and phone number were listed in the phone book and with very little effort a fan could track down his address. 

Feeling some sort of responsibility to reply and yet not be overwhelmed by correspondence from fans, Mr. Gorey created a response post card that he hand signed in advance and could address and send as needed. The card has a beautifully detailed illustration showing a cat atop an urn overflowing with unread letters. The cat is telling the recipient that, "You've written me to no avail, Because I never read my mail." 

As part of the Edward Gorey Documentary Project, Mr. Gorey was interviewed on the subject of fan mail. The audio from this interview was animated by Ben Wickey for the documentary. Additional animated interviews from this series can be found on YouTube HERE.

Mr. Earbrass Plays Croquet

 

I have the good fortune to be married to a man who loves to make special gifts for special occasions. For our 41st anniversary this past November, I received a hand made Mr. Earbrass figure. Recreating a scene from The Unstrung Harp, Edward Gorey's first published work, the intrepid Mr. Earbrass is braving the elements to complete a forgotten game of croquet. The collaged figure is amazingly detailed and everything from his head, hands and feet to his croquet mallet are hand made to scale. In the book, Mr. Earbrass is wearing a fur coat during his attempt to finish his game, but Bill decided to swap out his clothing for his traveling costume shown later in the book. Using bits of fabric with appropriately sized patterns, Mr. Earbrass is stylishly attired to brave the elements.

Bill has always enjoyed creating vintage style toys, and Mr. Earbrass is not just a figurine, he is also a Räuchermännchen, or incense smoker toy. Räuchermännchen were first made around 1850 in the Ore Mountains, a region that forms the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. They usually feature pipe smoking figures in traditional costume and remain popular holiday decorations.

Lifting off the top half of Mr. Earbrass, a metal tray is positioned to accept an incense cone. When lit and the top half of his body replaced, smoke gently emanates from Mr. Earbrass' mouth so that you can see his breath as if he were outside breathing in the chilly air. Here is a video of Mr. Earbrass out in the cold, playing croquet.

 

 

Edward Bradford

 

The world of Edward Gorey has lost a staunch and cherished friend. It is with much sadness that we say goodbye to Edward Bradford, a fellow collector, board member of The Edward Gorey House, and Mr. Gorey's official bibliographer who passed on December 26, 2020.

Over many decades, Edward Bradford amassed a staggering Gorey collection that included examples of almost everything produced by the prolific artist. Mr. Bradford was frequently seen attending auctions, book shops and fairs in New York City on his quest for rare (and ephemeral) Gorey items. Recently, the Library of Congress acquired this impressive collection and has plans to publish Mr. Bradford's long anticipated Edward Gorey bibliography in conjunction with Rutgers University. His small volume, F is for Fantods gives us a preview of the upcoming bibliography.

Edward Bradford was an invaluable resource to every Gorey collector and dealer he knew. Generous with his time and knowledge, Mr. Bradford excelled at helping others figure out Gorey conundrums.

Photo of Edward Bradford outside the 2010/11 Elegant Enigmas exhibition in Boston courtesy of Jonas Ploeger.