Edward Gorey Book Covers

I've loved Edward Gorey's cartoons ever since I was a kid, when I used to freak myself out reading my older sisters' copies of his collections Amphigorey and Amphigorey Too. There's some pretty crazy stuff in those books, including a few stories that are probably totally inappropriate for children (poor Millicent Frastley!) but I loved them anyway, and I have no doubt they contributed to my somewhat skewed world view.

But in addition to his own works, Gorey also had a pretty solid career as an illustrator of other people's stuff, including a number of book covers he did for paperback versions of classic novels, mostly for Knopf's Vintage Books line. (My lament for the death of the pocket-sized paperback book is a topic for another post.) Over the years I've managed to score a couple of these gems while rummaging through the shelves at used bookstores — they still have those, right? — and here are a few of my favorites.