Edward Gorey (1925–2000)

It's bleak, it's black, it's morbid: the very image of macabre is this, Gorey's tiny masterpiece. In just 28 short frames (including the iconic title page), "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" chronicles the tragic deaths of 26 children. It's easy to write this work off as appealing to the black-fingernailed set, but this is a wryly funny work which does what the best macabre fiction does: blends despair with laughter (the kind of laughter you can't stop even though you know you should).

My favourite frames are those in which the manner of death is almost unspoken: the child reaching her hand up to open a door, unaware of the bar-room brawl on the other side; the inquisite effete young boy gazing at a package, and so on. If nothing else, this is a work of sublime inventiveness.… (meer)

"Amphigorey: Fifteen Books" is a brilliant compilation of works by American author and illustrator Edward Gorey. Distinctively Gorey, the collection is packed with intricate pen-and-ink drawings and darkly humorous narratives. His tales feature eccentric characters, absurd situations, and a sense of whimsical melancholy that is both captivating and unsettling. Particularly noteworthy is its comprehensive presentation of Gorey's diverse body of work. From macabre alphabet books to surreal narratives and enigmatic tales, the anthology showcases the breadth of Gorey's imagination and his mastery of the illustrated book format. My favorite is "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," a darkly humorous and macabre abecedarian book that illustrates the deaths of 26 children, each representing a letter of the alphabet. His clever rhymes create a sense of morbid whimsy, drawing readers into a world where unfortunate accidents befall each child in alphabetical order. The entire collection is a classic!… (meer)