Edward Gorey definitely has his own style.
Looking at any of this illustrations, you can immediately recognize his work. Edward Gorey’s illustrations and poety were usually macabre and a bit dark. You can imagine where Tim Burton got a lot of his inspiration.
While he published many books and illustrations, Gorey’s probably best known for his 1980 animated intro for Mystery! on PBS.
This is where I got my first taste of Edward Gorey.
Mystery! Theme Version 1
Mystery! Theme 2
These Mystery! intros used to scare me when I was a little kid, but I still love them no matter how many times I’ve seen them.
The Epileptic Bicycle
He [Edward Gorey] also illustrated books as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot.
Source: Wikipedia
Illustrations
From The Interesting List
The Gashlycrumb Tinies Cover
Amphigorey
Image © copyright Estate of Edward Gorey. Source
Dracula Broadway Play (and Other Edward Gorey Illustrations) @ movietreasures.com
The Very Fine Clock (illustrated by Edward Gorey)
Edward Gorey Illustration Collection (0rchid_theif on LiveJournal)
0rchid_theif on LiveJournal has a very nice collection of Edward Gorey illustrations from a bunch of different books, plays and other projects.
Buy Edward Gorey Books
Here are a couple places online where you can buy Edward Gorey books.
Brickbat Books
Brickbat Books has a collection of several of Gorey’s books and 1st editions available for purchase.
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble has a big selection of Edward Gorey books and books that were illustrated by Gorey.
The Doubtful Guest cover
Edward Gorey Books (Amazon)
There are many Edward Gorey Books at Amazon.com.
Other Sites to Buy Edward Gorey Books
I hope you enjoyed this brief look at the illustrations of Edward Gorey. I like the dark, Victorian look of his illustrations and the fact they are unpolished and imperfect.
More To Come
In the next few weeks, I plan to showcase more illustrators that I grew up appreciating and some other artists that you may not be as familiar with.
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1 Comment to 'Illustration and Animation Inspiration: Edward Gorey'
May 31st, 2009
I absolutely love Gorey’s work. He’s the reason I became an illustrator and a writer.
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