Edward Gorey: Verse Advice Boxed Notecard Assortment

Edward Gorey’s characters regularly find themselves in odd—even disastrous—circumstances. They’ve seen their fair share of mishaps and are wiser as a result (if they haven’t met their unfortunate ends, of course). Now, they’re passing along their advice in this boxed notecard assortment of images from Gorey’s Verse Advice. From home improvement to organization, the advice in these illustrations is quite quotidian. Contains five each of the following notecards: It’s possible to pick up crumbs / By pressing on them with the thumbs. The helpful thought for which you look / Is written somewhere in a book. A one or two inch piece of string / Cannot be used for anything. A timely use of glue or paste / May well prevent a shocking waste.

Edward Gorey

Artist and author Edward Gorey (American, 1925–2000) is beloved for the boundless imagination and sharp humor exhibited in his more than 100 published works. Gorey was also a set and costume designer for innumerable theater productions, including a staging of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for which he won a Tony. He had a profound affection for literature, film, ballet, and animals. Cats and other odd creatures appear in many of his crosshatched illustrations. His humorously unsettling drawings of vaguely Victorian innocents facing unfortunate ends became familiar to a wide audience after appearing in the opening credits of the PBS television series Mystery! Gorey’s Cape Cod home, a veritable cabinet of curiosities, is now a museum celebrating his life and work.