Ugly, Vulgar, Illegible — Gorey on the Book's Cover
The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel
Publication: New York / Boston: Duell, Sloan and Pearce / Little, Brown and Company, 1953. First Edition.
Notes: A short book, with Gorey's quirky prose on the left and one of his classic illustrations on the right of each page spread. His first book.
While not one of Gorey's best-known books, it is one of the great books on the reality of being a writer. In Gorey's telling, at a party, "The talk deals with disappointing sales, inadequate publicity, worse than inadequate royalties, idiotic or criminal reviews, others' declining talents, and the unspeakable horror of the literary life."
He also pokes fun at his own work, including the cover design, which also happens to be the cover of the main character's novel: "Whatever were they thinking of?", the fictional author thinks. "That drawing. Those colours. Ugh. On any book it would be ugly, vulgar, and illegible."
Not paginated. 5-1/4 by 7-3/4 inches. Toledano Goreyography, A1a.
Edition + Condition: First edition (stated). Very good in a very good dust jacket. Price erasure to colored endpaper; worn lower edges of the boards. The dust jacket has four mostly unnecessary old tape repairs to the verso (back) and faint dampstaining at the spine. A decent copy
Item No: #365347
Price: $650