Edward Gorey

Edward Gorey (1925-2000) was an American illustrator of more than 100 macabre books that are enjoyed by children and adults alike. He did his pen and ink drawings at his house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts - he called it Elephant House, but it is now a museum celebrating his life and works. These include the opening credits for "Mystery" on PBS and one of his best-known books, The Gashlycrumb Tinies. My favorite of the A to Z drawings it contains is "F is for Fanny, sucked dry by a leech" (depicted above). My favorite story about the Elephant House - which was filled with his collections of books and odd things - was that when he found out that pansies came in black, he planted them around the perimeter!