...T is for Tripod who caught a bad cold...

July 9, 2013 11:24 AM

Edward Gorey’s Vintage Illustrations for H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI (12 comments total)

I was constantly checking-out that exact book from my grade-school library and, while I eventually read the whole book, I was mesmerized by the drawings. I never knew those were Gorey's work. Of course, back in the mid 60's I didn't know who Gorey even was.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:30 AM on July 9, 2013

I ♥ Gorey. For any who aren't familiar with them, he did a brisk business in book covers.
posted by Zed at 11:41 AM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

It is so sad that my first instinct when I see something like this is that it must be a disappointing mashup / what-if advertised as the real thing.

This does seem to be the real thing though, very nice.
posted by idiopath at 12:00 PM on July 9, 2013

*Gasp*
posted by Infinity_8 at 12:11 PM on July 9, 2013

I own that book!
posted by The Whelk at 12:16 PM on July 9, 2013 [2 favorites]

Someone on flickr has a collection of books with Gorey covers.
posted by pointystick at 12:17 PM on July 9, 2013

U is for 'Ulla' they cried and went cold.
posted by alasdair at 12:22 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Hey spoiler alert on the post title! Dang it!

I remember reading War of the Worlds as a kid, and I remember these illustrations were in the volume... but I definitely remember a different cover! I'm probably misremembering something, or maybe the illustrator knocked off Gorey's drawings, but it was a heck of a good read for a 10-yr-old boy in the late 70s.

I remember I would just stop and look at those terrific illustrations, and imagine I was there - what would it feel like, what would it sound like? Would I be scared? Would I find someplace to hide? Great book, really.
posted by Mister_A at 1:43 PM on July 9, 2013

The way he draws the tripods is kind of interesting. Judging by that one page with ever so many WotW covers, almost all the artists before and after Gorey preferred tripods with long rigid legs and flowing tendrils. Gorey combined the two, so that the legs are basically just thicker (squamous, y'know, and rugose) tendrils. For whatever that's worth.
posted by flechsig at 4:33 PM on July 9, 2013

The way he draws the tripods is kind of interesting. Judging by that one page with ever so many WotW covers, almost all the artists before and after Gorey preferred tripods with long rigid legs and flowing tendrils. Gorey combined the two, so that the legs are basically just thicker (squamous, y'know, and rugose) tendrils.

I can't look at this image without hearing pizzicato in the background.
posted by BrashTech at 4:54 PM on July 9, 2013

In other Gorey book cover news, John Bellairs works are now on iBooks, and I would assume Kindle as well. Those books were terrifying when I was a kid, in no small part to the tone Gorey's illustrations lent them.
posted by Brainy at 6:46 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh wow, I had no idea. Those are really cool -- now I want to see the book.
posted by emcat8 at 7:40 PM on July 9, 2013