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The Willowdale Handcar: or, the Return of the Black Doll
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| List Price: | £5.99 |
| Price: | £4.21 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details |
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Average customer review:
Product Description
In this enigmatic, surreal, wonderfully entertaining tale, three mysterious figures set out from Willowdale, travelling by handcar. On the way to nowhere in particular they pass a number of odd characters and observe a series of baffling phenomena, from a house burning down in a field to a palatial mansion perched precariously on a bluff. At once deeply vexing and utterly hilarious, darkly mysterious and amusingly absurd, "The Willowdale Handcar" is vintage Edward Gorey.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #225934 in Books
- Published on: 2004-11-01
- Original language: English
- Binding: Hardcover
- 64 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
A writer and artist of genius Independent on Sunday Marvellous, unsettling fun Observer
About the Author
Edward Gorey was born in Chicago in 1925. After one semester at the Chicago Art Institute, he spent three years in the US Army. He was a set and costume designer for Broadway, an illustrator for periodicals including the New Yorker and for books including T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. He was himself the author of many classic, amusing, disturbing works of genius, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Object Lesson and The Other Statue.
Customer Reviews
Gorey at his best
Edward Gorey was a type of artist who puts most critics in a dilemma. Really too good to be called a writer/illustrator (no offence intended to illustrators) he transcends the form into mainstream art. There is also the question whether his books are written for adults or children? I gave the Willowdale Handcar to a primary school teacher and even she was 'creeped out' by it. The Willowdale Handcar is a classic example of Gorey's dark stories. Even though he never visited England, you usually get a sense of foggy, gothic, Victoriana depicted with total accuracy. However, Gorey's Victoriana is experienced in a parallel universe where the unexpected and eerie is always round the next corner. This story is particularly weird and wonderful, the backdrop being the constant adventures experienced by the operators of the Handcar. Like the Unstrung Harp - this is one of his classics and not to be missed.
Beautiful pictures but...?
I love Edward Gorey for his dark and mysterious drawings! However the texts always make me feel like I'm missing out on something... I'm sure there must be more in the text than what it actually says... but what...?
