The Gashlycrumb Tinies: Or, After the Outing

by Edward Gorey

Hardcover, 1986

Status

Available

Genres

Graphic Novels

Comics

Graphic Novels and Comics

Publication

Beaufort Books (1986), Edition: First Beaufort Edition So Stated, 28 pages

Description

'A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears. C is for Clara who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh...'

User reviews

LibraryThing member caerulius

"A is for Amy, who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil, assaulted by bears..." Do you like letters? Do you like bad (yet morbidly humorous) things that happen to children? Then this book is for you.
Often considered Gorey's signature work, The Gashlycrumb Tinies is certainly the most widely known.

My favorite is, N, for Neville, "who died of ennui". Creative, dark, and irreverent, with victorian-style pen and ink drawings to match.

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LibraryThing member Haltiamieli

This is a small, dark gem. Morbid, macabre and yet not coldhearted. The poem is simple (in all but the occasional choice of a wonderfully obscure word, the Gorey trademark) but memorable, and the illustrations show great technical skill coupled with a sharp eye for arrangements. Can anyone look at

Neville and not feel his bottomless (and apparently quite fatal) ennui in their heart?

Not for everyone, though...

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LibraryThing member KidSisyphus

It has dawned on me that Edward Gorey stole all of my good ideas. Before I ever had them.

LibraryThing member imaginarian

A ghastly little treat that brings new friends together. Just do it. Give this book to someone you're just getting to know- use it as a litmus test of sorts to see if he's as twisted as you are. Gorey's poetic litany of death will quickly weed out those you might wish to know from those you do not.

How do I know? A new friend at a new job gave this to me fifteen years ago, and it was instant kismet.

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LibraryThing member riverwillow

The depths of my love for this book know no bounds - superbly macabre and very funny.

LibraryThing member thmazing

Many people's first Gorey. And what better introduction could there be?

LibraryThing member idie33

These crack me up, especially Xerxes who was devoured by mice and Zillah who drank too much gin.

LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba

Absolutely best alphabet book ever, of course, not for very small children but I suspect older kids will love it. :)

LibraryThing member noneofthis

The only possible way I could like this book better is if it contained a story, or perhaps a plot.

LibraryThing member spytel

One of my favorite books. A children's book with a dark Goth side. If you like the drawings and cartoons of Charles Addams (The Addams Family), you'll love Ed Gore (don't you love the name?). Basically an ABC alphabet book with pen and ink drawings of children meeting their premature ends (B is for

Basil assaulted by bears).

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LibraryThing member akmargie

Can we talk about my undying adoration and obsession with Edward Gorey. My sister got this for me. How she knew I loved his work but own none of it and needed it to complete my being I will never know. If I owned many animals I would name each of them after the Tinies.

LibraryThing member Nikkles

The drawings in this book are fantastic and the story is grisly and adorable at the same time. Great for adults who enjoy good art and funny little stories. Or mature children. A is for Alice who fell down the stairs . . .

LibraryThing member Sylak

Like his slightly better known counterpart, Edward Gorey has a sense of humour that is just slightly off-centre and yet has a way of seeking out that dark little recess of your heart and bringing a smile to those dry parched mummified lips.
If only the book was longer, or if only our own Roman

alphabet wasn't so darn short!
But then I guess: a minute to read, but a lifetime to savour.

I could imagine a scene long ago where Morticia and Gomez may have read this book to Wednesday and Pudgsy as babies in their cots. Wouldn't that have been adorable. :)

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LibraryThing member Fogcityite

If there is a better way to learn the alphabet I don't know what it might be. Beautifully illustrated.

LibraryThing member andreablythe

I can't help but laugh at all the creative ways these poor and unfortunate children get done in.

:)

LibraryThing member ThothJ

My very favorite of Edward Gorey's writings. I even had "B" airbrushed on a shirt.

LibraryThing member dr_zirk

The Gashlycrumb Tinies takes a morbid spin on the classic children's rhyming alphabet book, and if it's not the most original concept that Edward Gorey ever developed, it's still thoroughly entertaining.

LibraryThing member ethanlu121

The kind of dark, yet humourous book that can only come from Edward Gorey.

LibraryThing member ThothJ

My very favorite of Edward Gorey's writings. I even had "B" airbrushed on a shirt.

LibraryThing member ThothJ

My very favorite of Edward Gorey's writings. I even had "B" airbrushed on a shirt.

LibraryThing member m_k_m

Macabre humour suitable for Tim Burton fans, Victorianists, and children in need of a warning.

LibraryThing member MargaretArmour

I just love it.

LibraryThing member AngelaRenea

This is a cute, twisted little book. There really isn't a plot; it's more of an A, B, C's book. I wouldn't recommend it as a learning aid for A, B, C's but it's defiantly something fun for older alphabet lovers.

LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

This simple alphabet book is truly gruesome, and while I may read it to my nephews, I have a feeling it would get complaints at a normal storytime.
+16 #TBRread

LibraryThing member Maydacat

I would hesitant to call this little book a children’s book. Rather, I think it is better intended for adults who may wish to relive their own long past encounter with alphabet books but with a mature, if deadly, content. The poor children listed in this poem meet their ends in a startling

variety of methods, each accompanied by a superb illustration. It’s not your toddler’s alphabet book!

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