Edward Gorey's Library

There is a new biography of Gorey and a review of it in the Dec.10th issue of the New Yorker, the cover of which consists of Gorey's cats. I was not particularly interested in Gorey, but am more so now. I recall seeing many of his illustrations over the years on book covers and in children's books, most of which are now probably deemed inappropriate (The Gashlycrumb Tinies... for example: "I is for Ida who drowned in a lake" - "J is for James who took lye by mistake"). The title of the new biography is illustrated above.
Early in the review Gorey is quoted as having said, "I can't go out without buying a book," and later the reviewer notes that he ended up with 21,000 of them. As you probably don't know, I have posted before about "boys with books" (Mailer and Roth) and a "bloke with books" (Colin Wilson) and another guy who also had around 20,000 (Chimen Abramsky). So, I wondered what happened to all those Gorey books.
If you go to the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port, MA you won't find them, but you will find a book store, a good biography and some interesting exhibits. It looks like a good place to visit if you are on your way to the Cape. If you are in the general area you should also visit the Wadsworth Atheneum (in Hartford, CN) since Gorey gave them many of the other things he collected and they often stage exhibits and lectures related to him.
His books are now located on the other coast, however, which is a good thing given the weather. Visit San Diego State University and you will find 26,000 volumes in the "Edward Gorey Personal Library" held in the archives. If you click on that link you can find out why they ended up there, listen to a lecture and read the blog Goreyana.
If you prefer not to leave the country you can check out the Gorey collection at McGill: “The collection of the American designer, illustrator and author Edward Gorey (1925-2000) consists of books by and/or illustrated by him. The books, of which there are eighty-eight volumes, are mostly first editions and date from the period ca 1950 to 1980. As well, there is a small body of ephemera including book jackets by and articles about Gorey.”
If you are still not satisfied you can go to the Columbia University Library which has material donated by the architect and attorney, Andrew Alpern, who spent over 50 years collecting Gorey books and memorabilia. The collection "is chock-full of everything from books, postcards, photographs, and newspaper clippings to T-shirts, pot holders, mugs, and plastic party cups—all decorated with Gorey’s illustrations." For an interesting article about Alpern see: "A Treasure Trove of Edward Gorey," Eve Bowen, New York Review of Books, Aug. 4, 2012.



Post Script
Curious about what the university close by (Western) might have by and about Gorey, I looked and was surprised to find as many books as I did. Part of the explanation relates to the fact that many are held in the LGBTQ "Pride Library". As an aside, although the author of the new biography apparently focuses a lot on "gayness" the reviewer does not think it important. Nor did Gorey.

I noted by the way that the name of the donor of some of the Gorey books is given as: Empress II Madison Hart, Royal Imperial Sovereign Court of London and of Southwestern Ontario.
Surely the Empress is worth a post.....when I get time.