Customers say
Customers find this book entertaining and enjoyable for all ages. They appreciate the sophisticated humor and clever illustrations that make it a great way to teach the alphabet to young children. The dark tone is described as humorous yet cute. Readers describe the book as delicious, sweet, and ghoulish. It’s a good way to teach the alphabet for young children and young adults.
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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
“B is for Basil assaulted by bears. C is for Clara who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh. . . ”
A striking small-format illustrated edition of one of Edward Gorey’s “dark masterpieces of surreal morality” (Vanity Fair)—a witty, disquieting journey through the alphabet.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: B. Wells
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An Amusing and Ghastly Gallery of Gruesome Demises
Review: Ostensibly a children’s book (but beloved by many adults), Edward Gorey’s “The Gashlycrumb Tinies”, originally published in 1963, has never set well with certain members of the reading public who decry its content as too disturbing, too sick, or simply just too much for their fragile constitutions (and, allegedly, the constitutions of any sheltered offspring they may have under their command). Presented in a series of interrelated rhyming couplets, the book, in less than 30 pages, succinctly recounts the grisly and untimely demises of 26 unfortunate “tinies” (children) who are, often as a result of their own folly, dispatched in alphabetical order (“A is for Amy…”, “B is for Basil”…etc.). The result is a jet-black combination of Gorey’s clever, hair-raising humor and the delightfully morbid illustrations that accompany the tinies’ fatal misadventures. I was a child myself when I first read this and I find it as entertaining today as I did 55 years ago: it’s a work chock-full of giggles that’s also a parody of every parents worst nightmare. But, while I understand Gorey’s sense of humor may not appeal to everyone, I find the expressions of horror and disgust that continue to greet this book to be ridiculous, and more reflective of some reader’s coddled natures than as fair or accurate critiques. Those of us entranced by the old Grimm’s Fairy Tales as toddlers were pretty much inured to the iniquities of the sanguinary finger of fate by the time “The Gashlycrumb Tinies” came out. If you haven’t read Edward Gorey, “The Gashlycrumb Tinies” is as good a place as any to start. It’s short, to-the-point and, once you’ve finished, you’ll undoubtedly know whether or not you’re a Gorey fan.
Reviewer: Kimberly Moss
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hilariously dark, short, sweet and unconventional!
Review: This is such a wickedly entertaining treat from my childhood. My morbid humour developed rather quickly, encouraged by my mother and her love of Gothic horror. This is a perfect starter of the macabre and breaking conventions. A great, sort of pint-size gift for the Addams Family type members of your family. I took a picture aside my Bing Crosby CDs (I believe in strong contrasts, I’m as surly as I am cheerful), to demonstrate the size comparison. Arrived in wonderful condition, the illustrations are as delightful as I remember.However, I wish there was a little bio about Edward Gorey in the back since it has just three empty pages, I realize how books are binded but still one short sweet picture/paragraph makes it more complete for me.
Reviewer: Justine J.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Dark yet cute
Review: This is a very original and beautifully crafted alphabet book. It is a bit dark, but extremely poetic and playful.My previous roommate had this book for her son, Dylan, and this was one of the kid’s favorite books. (He was 3-4 when I lived with them). Dylan always asked his mom to read this book. He preferred it over Dr. Seuss’ stories, and I can’t blame him. Dr. Seuss sounds silly to me.I think he was fascinated by the subtle darkness and the pretty drawings, but there’s more to it. The sentences rhyme beautifully, it’s sort of entrancing. He ended up knowing the book by heart and reading along, even before he could read. It was really funny to watch.I understand how parents could feel a bit cautious about introducing the idea of death to their child, but hey, isn’t there death in all classic children’s tales: The Red Riding Hood, Hop-o’-My-Thumb, and so on?.Anyway, a year after I moved out, I ended up purchasing this book for myself. Sometimes children books are so good you want to keep them as an adult.
Reviewer: 683HNN
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Awful Alphabet
Review: I cannot think of a better way to learn the alphabet than Edward Gorey’s macabre “The Gashlycrumb Tinies.”Like so many others, I assumed (based on his drawing and sense of humor) that Edward Gorey was British, but he was actually born in Chicago, and had what he described as “negligible” training. In spite of only one semester in art school and a conventional education, he published over 100 books, and illustrated some 50 more.”Gashlycrumb” (or “After the Outing”) is 26 pages of illustrated verse, one line per page, each showing a child – designated by a name starting with the alphabetic letter in question – who is about to die a rather creative death. Incredibly weird, delightfully ghoulish, not for terribly small children or the overly sensitive, but delightful for the rest of us. Unlike most of his work, it’s been newly published in a small edition and is therefore readily available for us to enjoy.
Reviewer: Very cute ! Love this little guy he lives on my night stand.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Super funny.
Review: Bought this for my sister. She loved it now that she’s older we’re going to give it to our younger brother.
Reviewer: Jean Carlo Santos Arroyo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great
Review: Amazin book, perfect condition
Reviewer: Lala
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Tiny Book
Review: This book fits in the palm of the hand. It’s not the right size for a group story time, but it’s great for a lap read.Of course, you have to know your audience. It’s not for the faint-of-heart child, but will tickle the kid who sees the goth side of life.
Reviewer: BKRO
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: 👍🏼
Review: 👍🏼
Reviewer: Raffaella
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Per quanto sia strano definire adorabile un libro in cui bambini muoiono in vari modi, è l’unico aggettivo adatto. Il testo è in rima, in ogni pagina c’è una lettera dell’alfabeto, il nome del bambino e cosa gli è successo. Le illustrazioni sono in bianco e nero, molto dettagliate e macabre. Questo libro è un ottimo regalo se la persona che lo riceve ha il giusto senso dell’umorismo.(Ultima parole sul servizio Amazon: perfetto e puntuale come sempre).
Reviewer: Juliana
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: O tipo de humor duvidoso que acho fantástico. Apaixonada pelo livrinho.
Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Kept/keeps the 4 year old engaged cooking up precedents for all 26 characters in the book.
Reviewer: talerchen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Dieses Buch liebt man hauptsächlich wegen seiner Zeichnungen, die sind wirklich gelungen und wunderschön. Für Tim Burton Fan ein Muss!
Reviewer: Zully De Leon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: es un libro que para mi gusto es muy divertido (-: me encantan las ilustraciones y el libro en sí llegó en un buen estado físico
Price effective as of Mar 28, 2025 10:07:28 UTC
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