Have you been to the Gorey House in Yarmouth Port? I decided it was the perfect thing to do while waiting for Not-A-Hurricane Earl to arrive. You know Edward Gorey, author and illustrator of such books as Amphigorey, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and of Masterpiece Mystery Fame? Or for you American Idol fans, you might know him from the tattoo that Cape Cod's own Siobhan Magnus sported on her arm (you can see a video about it here.)
I suddenly remembered, as I was touring the house, that I went to see Gorey Stories when it was playing off-Broadway in 1978. Wow -- instant flashback!
But those books and the play are just the tip of the iceberg -- he wrote and illustrated hundreds of books and other works, and was a collector of all manner of wonderful things. Here are just a few.
Gorey died in 2000, and this is his last remaining cat -- perhaps the fattest cat I've ever seen.
X is for Xerxes devoured by mice.
Z is for Zillah who drank too much gin.
B is for Basil assaulted by bears.
J is for James who took lye by mistake.
G is for George smothered under a rug.
You can read the whole Gashlycrumb Tinies alphabet here. You can also see more photos of the house in the beautifully photographed book The Elephant House with photographs by Kevin McDermott and an introduction by John Updike. You can learn more about Edward Gorey and his house at the Gorey House website.
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