“Amphigorey is made up of books published between 1953 and 1965. They are now difficult and often expensive to come by: hence this compilation. Its title is taken from amphigory, or amphigouri, meaning a nonsense verse or composition.” E.G

Edward Gorey’s Amphigorey, is just one of a number of collections of his works, but it contains several of my favourite pieces by him, including the delightfully wicked Gashlycrumb Tinies, which was my very first introduction to Gorey.

Gorey’s works are witty, intelligent sometimes nonsense and often dark in themes. He writes of times and places that would imply a British author, however he only left the United States of America once in his lifetime.

His work is heavily Victorian or Edwardian in feel and this is amplified through his incredible cross hatch pen and ink drawings. Do not be fooled, they may at first glance look like sketches but study them and you will see how intricate his illustrations are.

Amphigorey is a great introduction to Gorey’s work and includes the much lauded; The Object Lesson.

Chris