Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey
by: Edward Gorey, Karen Wilkin

Hardcover. NY, Harcourt, 1st, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. 292 pages, b&w illustrations. It's very possible that the only thing more peculiar and arresting than Edward Gorey's books and illustrations is Gorey himself. This collection of chronologically arranged interviews with Gorey (1925-99) spans three decades and shines light into many corners of his eccentric life and work. Gorey ponders his own bizarre dress (floor-length fur coats and sneakers), his obsession with the New York City Ballet, and his life with six cats and even manages to delve into some of the inspirations that fuel his enigmatic and strangely endearing work. This assembly by Wilkin reveals a charming, extremely intelligent, articulate, and eminently likable artist and writer. A thoughtful self-portrait thus emerges from the mist of questions and answers, one that helps to counter the paucity of recent Gorey scholarship. Gorey's own words clarify his peculiar and macabre worldview more succinctly than any biographer could hope to. Note: small bump to bottom corner of book, evident to the first half of the pages. Otherwise clean and bright.