Elephant House: Or, the Home of Edward Gorey (Pomegranate Catalog)

I fell for Edward Gorey's work a thousand years ago, at the age of sixteen, and have never fallen out of love with it. A friend of mine, who visited "Elephant House", now a museum, told me about this book. He told me that the only downside to the book is that it only encouraged his obsessive collecting instincts, (as such instincts are validated in the arguably eccentric person of Mr. Gorey). Through the text and images in this book, I learned things about Gorey that only made me love him more. My favorite bit in the book was the recalling of an interview piece for "Vanity Fair", in which the interviewer asked Gorey what or who was the great love of his life, to which Gorey replied, "Cats." Now, this truly is a man the world will miss.I must congratulate the author/photographer, especially, for the final image, and his comments about it. It still brings tears to my eyes. I would recommend this book to anyone who understands Edward Gorey's special talent.

As an author, a somewhat eccentric author, I purchased this for the obvious reason: curiosity. I love Edward Gorey's work but it was my curiosity about who the man was, how he lived, that brought me to this book. I was surprised to find so many similarities with my home and relieved when two friends, independently, purchased this book and commented that they find his home a real-world peek inside Gorey's mind and they see the same thing in my home (as opposed to just seeing a weird person's home). This was beautifully photographed and the author of this one paid exceptional attention to detail. If you loved Gorey, you will enjoy this insight into the man that was, through the home he adored. Good luck.

This is a beautiful book of photographs and text that allows the reader an intriguing view of the home in which Edward Gorey lived and the collections of curious objects, books, and cats he filled it with.The photographs are large and beautiful - haunting even - and there are lots of them. There is just the right amount of text to cast some light on the man behind the house and his elusive character - anecdotes about his life, his work, his friends and the things that inspired him.If you are fan of Edward Gorey, or of eclectic interior decorating and design, and displaying collections of antiques, this book will be a treasure in your library.

A wonderful glimpse into the home and life of Edward Gorey!

I purchased this fascinating, well-photographed book for a friend's birthday who was thrilled to see the home of Gorey in detail.I wanted to keep it for myself.This is a most intimate book photographed by a talented photographer whose work is exceptional. Keep an eye open for future works by Kevin McDermott.

Best house ever. If only the book had been longer. I toured the home and it is amazing.

That's really all I can say. I have been waiting for this book for a long time, and it was the most incredible thing. Amazing photos. Read up on Gorey first, though. The details are some much better when you get the little visual jokes Gorey set up in his day-to-day life.

As I prepare to walk up to the porch of Edward Gorey's home in Kevin McDermott's book Elephant House: or, the Home of Edward Gorey, I am prepared to be surprised. Images flash through memory - bizarre inert characters from Embley and Yewbert to the flamboyant Figbash. I expect to be greeted by Doubtful Guest dolls lurking behind dank Victorian sofas and lots of black umbrellas. I hold my breath.Instead, I find stones. Lots of them, clustered along the stairs to the left. A line-up of antique irons marches around the corner of the house. And books. Thousands of books are piled high among balusters and finials - architectural embellishments long separated from their structures gracefully and imposingly placed upon windowsills and cabinets. Clusters of nearly every imaginable sort of bits used in everyday life are tenderly collected and assembled. Groups of texture and form - standing wooden kitchen utensils and bocce balls mixed with perfectly rounded beach stones. Everything is older, well used and would have normally been discarded after a long and useful life. A huddled gathering of pewter salt and pepper shakers remain steadfast upon a tray.As I gaze through the entrance room, through the living room and the kitchen, I find the author's black and white photographs eerie, haunting. Kevin McDermott's pages takes me from room to room, filling in the cluttered corners with anecdotes and reminisces of Gorey's life here, as one who knew him closely could only do. Not as a remote docent at the Van Gogh exhibit reciting textbook fare, but as a friend relating peculiarities about a companion.The journey of Gorey's Elephant House is mostly black and white, with splashes of color photographs accenting the pages with surprising bursts of pigment. A cluster of bright blue glass bottles in a well lit window gives as much insight into Gorey's playful inventiveness as any four-page interview has attempted. I do find Figbash and the Doubtful Guest - they are not central but instead ancillary to a greater collection of flotsam and jetsam, worn stuffed animals and books, music and artwork, that filled Gorey's mind. Well, one theme appears central - books. The Elephant House was bloated with 25 thousand of them. I laughed out loud when I reached the library, as it looked to be only an extension to every other room. I have several friends whose homes are similarly endowed, so I understand its pleasure.As far as the title goes - Elephant House - I happily find no token ceramic Asian elephant end tables, but rather an ancient commode with an abstract nod to a pachyderm. A chunk of driftwood in the kitchen is very elephant-like. Speculation falls on the aging scaly gray shingles on the house's exterior (Gorey could have easily called it the Frog House, however, for his love of frogs appears everywhere.) A sobering image of modern plastic pill bottles, artfully placed on a window sill, reminds me of Gorey's frailty in the later years and I am again saddened at our loss on that April day in 2000. This excellent book closes the tour with a haunting image that I could not part with for a good fifteen minutes. As John Updike notes in the forward, "Kevin McDermott's photographs bring us closer to Gorey than his art..." Closer indeed. Unforgettably closer.Glen Emil,[...]1 September 2003

本書は、絵本作家エドワード・ゴーリーが2000年4月15日に逝去してから一週間後、4月21日に撮影された、ゴーリーの生活空間を写真というメディアに定着した貴重な記録・・・要するに家の写真集ですが、ゴーリーはおうち大好き人間だったので、ある意味、ゴーリーを知るための基本文献かもしれません。本書の表題になっている「エレファント・ハウス」は、マサチューセッツ州ヤーマンスポート Yarmonthport にあるゴーリーの邸宅の通称。19世紀初頭に建てられたもの。ゴーリーはこの家を1979年に購入し、7年かけて改装、1986年に引っ越して、大量の本や雑貨、そして愛する猫たちに囲まれて暮しました。呼び名の由来については、見た目が象っぽいからとか、購入時に二階のバスルームにあった象っぽい便器を取り外してサイドテーブルに再利用したからとか、諸説あげられています。ゴーリーによる象のイラストも収録されています。　著者のケヴィン・マクダーモットはオハイオ生まれ。アクター、プロデューサーであると同時に、グラフィック・デザイナーでもあり、写真家でもある。本書が初出版。作家アップダイクによる序文が付されている。　　内容は：1. The Porch2. The Entrance3. The Living Room4. The Kitchen5. The Ball Room6. The Television Room7. The Studio8. The Library9. The Alcove10. The Bathroom11. The Bed Room12. The Hidden Room　各セクションに著者によるコメントが付されています。部屋の用途とは関わりなしに、いたる所に無数のオブジェや、総計25,000冊あるという蔵書があふれ（本棚には日本関係の本のコーナーもあります）、キッチンには何故か石ころがたくさん置かれています。ゴーリーの愛猫たちも写っています。

A great addition to my collection of Gorey works.

Love the photos. Great companion to the Gorey biography I already had.

Purchased as a gift for a lady who loves it.

Adoro a Edward Gorey. Era excéntrico, imaginativo, diferente, original... Su obra es muy especial y muy distintiva. Me cuesta leer en inglés, pero merece la pena conocer las peculiaridades de este ilustrador de culto.