Edward Gorey

The master creator of finely crosshatched illustrations and sinisterly amusing tales, Edward Gorey (American, 1925 2000) got his start in publishing by designing book covers for such New York houses as Doubleday, Grosset & Dunlap, Vintage Books, and later Random House. Today, his prodigious output of hundreds of dust jackets and paperback covers evidences his distinctive flair for design and his extraordinary ability to portray the essence of the books that came his way. Edward Gorey: His Book Cover Art & Design features a broad selection of his work, created from 1953 to 2000.

In his essay, Steven Heller offers an insightful overview of Gorey's book cover art and design. He writes, "Successful cover design requires the expertise of an artist, typographer, poster designer, and logo maker. Many book design specialists were incapable of designing a cover or jacket with the same Gorey aplomb, even if they tried."
Examines dozens of examples of the book art of Edward Gorey, who initially illustrated paperback covers and dust jackets for the likes of Joseph Conrad, Henry James and Charles Dickens, establishing a pen-and-ink hand-lettered style that would challenge prevailing American publishing standards and help define his publisher's visual identity. His prodigious output of hundreds of jackets and covers evidenced his flair for design and his ability to portray the essence of the books that came his way.