The Doubtful Guest

I am a big Gorey fan and my friends are having a baby- they requested books instead of cards and this is what I got! The paper is a little thin- so I would recommend an older child who can flip the pages with caution, but overall this is the best little Gorey book you can get for a younger crowd. It’s a hilarious read and it’s full of mischief and mayhem!

This is a charming story of a questionable character who appears out of nowhere and endears "it"self by simply being itself: odd, personable, quirky, and tenacious. The pen and ink drawings by Edward Gorey are impeccable (his formal training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago lasted only one year), showing a natural gift for precision and imagination; they are used exclusively as signatures of the PBS series "Mystery." The Victorian/Edwardian theme creates another world, placing the reader in the late 19th, early 20th century of elegance and propriety, making the mysterious appearance of this peculiar "Doubtful Guest" even more peculiar. The fact that Mr. Gorey created these drawings and the story they tell in 1957 is testimony to its timeless, endearing, enduring quality.

One of his funniest. I love this one.

This is a thought provoking tale. A great party gift.

I adore Edward Gorey's work, both his goulish humor and gorgeous crosshatch illustrations. This was my first book of his, and I gave it as a gift to a good friend. It is as sweet and innocent as a children's book, quite unlike the majority of Gorey's work (The Gashlycrumb Tinies, which I think are hysterical---but you have to have a VERY dark sense of humor for that one). I did eventually buy a copy for myself, but have never seen it any larger than the small size it is in now. I would love to see a larger copy, since his pictures are so grand.

This is my single favorite Edward Gorey book, partially because of the amusing couplets it is written in, but mostly because of the appearance of the guest himself, which never ceases to amuse me. The concept of a strange creature who mysteriously visits and decides to stay (seventeen years) while exercising odd whims (like fits in which he removes all towels from the bath or hiding inside a soup tureen) is particularly suited to Gorey's odd brand of humor (although it is not one of his more unusual books, by any stretch of the imagination.) I have liked Edward Gorey since I was in my teens, and still find him as unique and entertaining as ever. This is my very favorite Gorey book, and would make an excellent introduction to one of the oddest cartoonists of the twentieth century.

Gorey has long been a favorite, and even as he played and replayed the same whimsical take on grim horror, it always seemed new. I really enjoy these books, but I confess I do watch out for where I leave my copy of "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" when I have friends or family with young children coming over :-). N.

I am a Gorey fan. I love his artwork and this book is great. It is strange and so was he. My son was puzzled. He said "What does it mean? what was the point? A crazy penguin doesn't leave your house for 17 yrs? That's terrible and weird mom!" Yes it is son. It is perfect.

Un libriccino scoperto percaso a casa di una mia amica da cui non sono più riuscita a separarmi e ho dovuto comprarlo. Unisce in se una poetica particolare con un umorismo assurdo. Leggendolo, ti fa sorridere.

Ok

不思議な世界観に、一気に引き込まれる。 そのあたりの力は、１ページ目から超一級なので一気にゴーリーの 世界にゴリゴリと入らされている自分に気づかされる。 傑作です。

I love the rhymes, and the poetry, and the unexpected. It is a small book, not for kids I must say, but for those who love the weird and dark humor from Gorey

This is really one of my good buys, I enjoyed the book and its dark humour especially during this pandemic time. I find that when I'm a bit sad, this book makes me smile.