Edward Gorey's Book Covers

Before his now iconic books drew critical acclaim and a dedicated following, Edward Gorey designed book covers in the crowded single room of Doubleday Anchor’s art department. Not yet thirty and recently graduated from Harvard, Gorey initially illustrated paperback covers and dust jackets for the likes of Joseph Conrad, Henry James, and Charles Dickens, establishing a pen-and-ink hand-lettered style that would challenge prevailing American publishing standards and help define his publishers’ visual identities.