Edward Gorey: The Angel, The Automobilist, and Eighteen Others

In this collection of distinctive drawings, Edward Gorey presents portraits ranging from the Angel to the Wretch. In typical Gorey fashion, their worlds are a bit off-kilter. The barefoot Artist wears a heavy coat, while the Watcher sees a void. Never before published, The Angel, the Automobilist, and Eighteen Others examines humankind through Gorey’s quirky lens. Despite the title, this book contains only seventeen “Others,” not eighteen. Chalk that up as another enigma from the artist and writer himself.

Edward Gorey

Artist and author Edward Gorey (American, 1925–2000) is beloved for the boundless imagination and sharp humor exhibited in his more than 100 published works. Gorey was also a set and costume designer for innumerable theater productions, including a staging of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for which he won a Tony. He had a profound affection for literature, film, ballet, and animals. Cats and other odd creatures appear in many of his crosshatched illustrations. His humorously unsettling drawings of vaguely Victorian innocents facing unfortunate ends became familiar to a wide audience after appearing in the opening credits of the PBS television series Mystery! Gorey’s Cape Cod home, a veritable cabinet of curiosities, is now a museum celebrating his life and work.