The author and illustrator is much revered for his own weird and wonderful books, yet his 200-plus jacket designs are virtually ignored. Steven Heller celebrates his contribution to a unique era of publishingDeliciously and subversively cryptic, Edward St John Gorey’s books, plays, postcards, toys, stage sets and costumes – indeed an entire lifetime of utterly sublime, mockingly apprehensive artistry and authorship – are celebrated and critically acclaimed by everyone from cultural pundits to goth cultists. The rare front-page New York Times obituary, on 17 April 2000, is testament to Gorey’s eclectic narrative range. “In creating a large body of small work, he made an indelible imprint on noir fiction and on the psyche of his admirers,” Mel Gussow wrote.Yet, understandably, less attention is devoted today to the 200-plus illustrated paperback covers and hardcover jackets that Chicago-born, Harvard-educated Gorey (known to his friends as Ted) created while working as a staff artist, art director, editor and freelance illustrator at various American publishing houses for a large portion of his career. In two brief sentences, his obituary tossed aside this impressive output: “After graduation he remained in Boston, illustrating book jackets. Then he went to New York and worked in the art department at Doubleday, staying late in the office to create his own books.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ebook store market may be dominated by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple, but a few independent online ebookstores, patterned after bricks-and-mortar retailers, have carved out a lucrative niche. Some were emboldened as far back as 2003, when Barnes & Noble.com initially exited the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British author Jon McGregor wins the 100,000 euro (£81,000) International Impac Dublin Literary Award for his third novel Even the Dogs. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thomas Pynchon, author of “Gravity’s Rainbow” and “The Crying of Lot 49,” characteristically declined to speak about his decision. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Next Thursday will see the largest gathering of book marketing professionals this year as 170... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly 60% of families do not own a single baby book until they receive their first packs from... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google has struck a deal to digitise French books, ending a six-year legal battle. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Though results aren't what they used to be, sales still spiked for the first pick. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hay Festival founder Peter Florence has blamed “crap books” from UK publishers as... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Printed book sales rebounded after a poor week, with Nielsen BookScan reporting spending surged... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hay Festival founder Peter Florence has warned that it is “almost impossible” to make... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The May sunshine led to a 3.4% total sales increase last month, according to the British Retail... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bookseller also said that Justice officials did not take the company's objections seriously before the settlement, that they were only "checking the box." Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wattpad, a booming ebook community site, hosts five million stories, with 500,000 added per month. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing and long-running book-maker Avalon now has more in common than rhyme schemes. The pair have struck up a deal to publish over 3,00 titles from the publisher's back-catalogue, broaching its romance, mystery and western genres. It'll be the first time that these books will be... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A look into two of New Zealand's darker tales have made the shortlist for this year's New Zealand Post Book Awards. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling's 'Book of Spells' will allow players to wave wands and cast spells using Wonderbook technology. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The romance with the printed word shows no signs of abating. Despite the rapid growth in ebook sales in recent years, print book output in 2011 grew by 6%, to 347,178 titles, compared to the prior year. The preliminary numbers released Tuesday by bibliographic database Bowker are "the most... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony has decided to join the web-based shopping party, launching an online reader store for its e-inked devices and companion apps. Any e-Books purchased will arrive ready-to-read on the Reader app or other suitably wireless device, with titles also working on any Adobe DRM-supported apps and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild is encouraging its 8,500 members to submit comments against the proposed settlement between the Department of Justice and three large publishers. The settlement, the guild argues, will only benefit Amazon. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony unveils a Harry Potter-based book, part-written by JK Rowling, as the first Wonderbook title for its Playstation console. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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