“Read a Damn Book – 004: The Gashlycrumb Tinies”
Hey Fellow Steemians! Here is my 4th review from my Read a Damn Book Project. This one is for a lovely, creepy little book by one of my favorite artists (and writers! Not many folks out there who could do both, but Mr. Gorey was one of the best!)
“Read a Damn Book – 004: The Gashlycrumb Tinies”
[Originally posted on February 28, 2017, by richardfyates]
A decade or two ago (I’m bad with time), I ran across the name Edward Gorey while reading a comic book by Jay Stephens. Stephens had cited Gorey as a massive influence, along with other names, like Maurice Sendak, who is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE artists, so if he was anything like Master Sendak, I was going to need to check this Gorey dude out. What I discovered was pure genius.
[This is a photograph that I took of the actual book that I read. The image is included for review purposes only!]
Edward Gorey – The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963/1991)
Gorey writes and draws strange, quirky, often very creepy, very unsettling little books, which can easily be mistaken for childrens’ literature, if one isn’t careful. They LOOK almost cute, at first glance, but do pay attention to the WORDS before giving a book like this to little Sally or Billy. Here are the first two lines of this particular ABC book:
“A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. / B is for Basil assaulted by bears.”
That’s right—this is an ABC book chronicling the different ways that children can die, and with Gorey’s beautiful, detailed, sweet, and very dark art style, some of the depictions actually look quite gruesome. I absolutely love this dark, chilling, and freaky book, primarily for the art, and it ended up being a gateway for me into a new, exciting world of murder, mayhem, madness, and weird little monsters. Gorey became an obsession for me (although, being POOR, I couldn’t afford to obsess much.) I was eventually able to buy a book of his interviews, two biographies, and several collections of his works (which I will reread and post as READ A DAMN BOOK reviews pretty soon.) If you haven’t read anything by Edward Gorey, but your tastes lean towards the eerie and the macabre, then RUN, right now, to a book store and grab anything you can find by him. I guarantee, he will not disappoint!
---Richard F. Yates
(Primitive Thoughtician and Supreme Bunny Lord of The P.E.W.)
SUPPORT INDEPENDENT FOLKS WHO ARE JUST MAKING STUFF BECAUSE THEY LOVE IT!!!
https://steemit.com/@richardfyates
https://primitiveentertainment.wordpress.com/read-a-damn-book-list/
https://makersplace.com/store/richardyates/
Nice writing
Thanks! It helps when I'm writing about something that I really enjoy! Thanks for reading!!!
Your post was featured in an entry into @pifc's Curation Contest:Week 39. Posts are selected because the entrant felt you are producing great content and deserve more attention (& rewards) on your post. As such your post has been upvoted and will be visited by other members of the PIFC Community.
We are always looking for new people to join our curation efforts. This is a great way to meet new people and become part of a community that focuses on helping one another.
Want to promote a post for free and have a chance to find some other great content? Check out this week's Pimp Your Post.
The Pay It Forward community also has a Discord Channel if you are interested in learning more about us.
What a wonderful book!!! It reminds me of the current offering "P is for Pterodactyl" (another one you might not want to give to Sally or Billy - not until they're a little older, anyway.)
I found you because @stortebeker featured you in the Pay it Forward Curation contest. Keep up the great work!
I haven't heard of P is for Pterodactyl! I'll have to look for it! Thanks!!!
Posted using Partiko Android
Hello @richardfyates,
I found this book review of yours so interesting that I included it in my curation-style post Look What Books I Found: https://steemit.com/payitforward/@stortebeker/4oyz59-look-what-i-found
It is also an entry to @pifc's weekly curation contest: https://steemit.com/payitforward/@pifc/starting-2019-with-a-bonus-week-39-pay-it-forward-curation-contest
Cheers!
Cool! Thanks!!! I appreciate it! And I'm glad you enjoyed the review!!!
Posted using Partiko Android
You made want to find this book @richardfyates.. just to proof that your review is correct 😂😂😂 but I still nerd sometimes to check whether we have it in Bahasa Indonesia version😊 but If not, I think I need to find a friend who is somewhere in foreign country where he can find this book ...
Thanks for make reading book is keep exciting😉 I found your post through @stortebeker entry post in the pay it forward contest.
Glad you liked the review! If you can't find this book on its own, it is also available in a collection called Amphigorey, along with 14 other wonderful Edward Gorey stories. Very enjoyable!
Posted using Partiko Android
😊 I am also POOR 😂😂 will try to find one by one later, If I like it..then I'll find a way to collect all of it. Thanks
Thank you so much for this review! I'm an avid reader, but haven't heard of Gorey; I love all things dark and quirky, so this is right up my alley!
I found your post because @stortebeker featured you in a Pay it Forward Curation Contest entry; feel free to join us with an entry of your own any week :)