Journal Entry 1 by GoryDetails from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Thursday, January 29, 2004

There's no easy way to categorize an Edward Gorey book; this one does contain text, so "literature & fiction" will do, but it could also be "mystery & suspense" or "art" or "humor" [if you have a sense of humor like mine, anyway!]. Heck, "graphic novel" might do...

This is one of my favorites, in that the drawings are wildly evocative of a growing vague unease, the story is amusingly bleak, and it's told in rhyming couplets to add that whimsical touch that makes Gorey - well, Gorey. There's an interesting feature to this book: each picture consists of a long shot or landscape view accompanied by an insert showing closeup details of one bit of the scene, which lends a cinematic air to the whole thing.

What happens? Well - not a lot, which is typical of Gorey; one wanders along, looking at things, and then it's over. But the journey is almost-nightmarishly fun! "The monuments above the dead are too eroded to be read," goes one couplet, as our Victorian-garbed cast stand around the graveyard in the snow. Or - one of my favorite "stills" - "A fugitive and lurid gleam obliquely gilds the gliding stream."

The subtitle is "The Bracingly Bleak Tale by Edward Gorey", and that about covers it. A mood piece, and a fine one...

I plan to start up a bookray for this. 

Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, January 30, 2004

I'm sending this out on a bookring. [As with most Gorey books, it's quite small and very short - that is, cheap to mail and quick to read {grin} - although you may want to linger over it for a bit to soak in the details.]

When you receive the book, please journal at once to indicate that it's arrived safely, and PM the next person in line for their address so you'll have it handy when you're ready to pass the book along. [NOTE: Please confirm the next person's address and readiness to receive the book, even if you've sent them books before; circumstances do change.] Please try and read the book reasonably promptly, journal again with your comments when you're ready to pass it along, and mail it out. (I use a status of "traveling" to indicate a bookring-in-transit, and "to be read" while it's in hand.) Hope you all enjoy it!

Participants, in mailing order:

Hexa (UK - was LisaJane)
Mytilus (UK) [was Mytilusgirl]
Jalna (UK)
kellyonhiatus (Canada)
keycollect (South Dakota)
Brookhavn (Oregon)
daidy (Michigan)
hbrogan (New York)
Zmrzlina (Pennsylvania)
BlazeLaFlame (Maryland)
[moved by request] book-bugger (Rhode Island) [*** no response, skipped ***]

...and back to GoryDetails (New Hampshire) 

Journal Entry 3 by GoryDetails from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, February 06, 2004

Controlled release:

"The Iron Tonic" is on its way to BCer LisaJane in the UK, to kick off the bookring. 

Journal Entry 4 by Hexa on Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Received safely - looks wonderful. Will get to reading asap. 

Journal Entry 5 by Hexa on Wednesday, February 18, 2004

'Bracingly bleak' indeed, and full of wonderful detail. I especially liked the 'venturesome but wounded bird', and, well, all of it. Gorey can create a whole world from just a few details, the atmosphere of subtle menace just oozes off the page.

Sending on to Mytilusgirl this week. 

Journal Entry 6 by Mytilus from Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom on Friday, February 20, 2004

Arrived today.
Thank you LisaJane! 

Journal Entry 7 by Mytilus from Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom on Saturday, February 28, 2004

Cor, Gorey certainly knows how to use language to great effect. A beautifully macabre little volume.

Sent to Jalna today. 

Journal Entry 8 by jalna from Wrexham, Wales United Kingdom on Thursday, March 04, 2004

Oh how nice - a book I really can read very quickly and not hold up every other expectant reader! 

Journal Entry 9 by jalna from Wrexham, Wales United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 09, 2004

An odd little book, but it's been an interesting experience to look at it, so I'm pleased that GoryDetails chose to share it with us.

A few days later than intended, it is off to Canada now. 

Journal Entry 10 by AnonymousFinder on Monday, March 29, 2004

i recently read gorey on gorey and fell in love with gorey's character, and so, now i am checking out his books. and i like them very much ... i wonder what other books edward gorey fans tend to like?

anyway. i will send this as soon as i get the address. 

Journal Entry 11 by AnonymousFinder on Friday, April 02, 2004

mailed to keycollect! 

Journal Entry 12 by keycollect from Rapid City, South Dakota USA on Wednesday, April 07, 2004

This is the first Edward Gorey book I have seen. I knew I would really like it from all his illustrations I have seen - and descriptions from others. I have an unexplainable distaste for BLACK birds,crows,ravens,etc. so the page "A venturesome but wounded bird ... Is making an unwelcome third." gave me the creeps. I will read this small book several more times before releasing it to the Oregon. 

Journal Entry 13 by keycollect from Rapid City, South Dakota USA on Thursday, April 08, 2004

release to Brookhavn on 04/09/2004 

Journal Entry 14 by Brookhavn from West Linn, Oregon USA on Tuesday, April 13, 2004

just received today..will pass on as soon as possible! 

Journal Entry 15 by Brookhavn from West Linn, Oregon USA on Wednesday, April 14, 2004

The first thing that grabbed me as I pulled the book out of the mailer was the wonderful font used for The Iron Tonic....it looks like winter tree branches. Marvelous.

Edward Gorey reminds me of a daring trip I took to New Orleans several years back. It was October and I was on my own and ready for adventure. I stayed at a charmingly rundown B & B in the garden district and had one of those astonishing philosophical conversations that we live for...with the owner of the establishment. I told him that New Orleans suited my gothic sensibilities and he was fascinated with the phrase and wanted to know exactly what it meant.

Edward Gorey suits my gothic sensibilities as well and I enjoyed a brief glimpse into his world of dark humor. Thanks for sharing Gorydetails! 

Journal Entry 16 by Brookhavn at on Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Released on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

on it's way today! 

Journal Entry 17 by daidy from Kansas City, Missouri USA on Thursday, April 22, 2004

"The monuments above the dead are too eroded to be read."

ooh *shivers* 

Journal Entry 18 by hbrogan from North White Plains, New York USA on Friday, May 07, 2004

Received this one several days ago, and I read it right away. It made me smile in the midst of my final exam horror. I love Edward Gorey! I had a Gorey calendar last year. This truly is a "bracingly bleak tale." My favorite line: "The careful stroller should beware of objects falling from the air." Good advice! ;) Anyway, this is ready to continue on its journey. Thanks for sharing!

Update: BookBugger has asked to be skipped. I will be sending the book on to Zmrzlina as soon as I get an address! 

Journal Entry 19 by Zmrzlina from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Saturday, May 22, 2004

Book arrived here in Pittsburgh, my new hometown :-) I will post again when I've read it (probably tomorrow at breakfast). 

Journal Entry 20 by Zmrzlina from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, June 01, 2004

Do you suppose Iron Tonic is mustard colored, like the book? I think it would have to be, and thick, but slippery.

My favorite verse is the same as Gory's, "A fugitive and lurid gleam obliquely gilds the gliding stream." Although, I am just coming off a particularly nasty cold and my voice is deliciously rumbly and spooky, so when I read most any of the couplets aloud to my temporary housemate, he shivered.

This is off to BlazeLaFlame in Maryland tomorrow.

Thanks for sending this on a ring, Gory!
 

Journal Entry 21 by BlazeLaFlame from Baltimore, Maryland USA on Sunday, June 06, 2004

pretty cool, part of a book ray... 

Journal Entry 22 by BlazeLaFlame at direct release to Gory Details in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Release planned for Thursday, July 22, 2004 at direct release to Gory Details in Nashua, New Hampshire USA.

finished reading this marvelous book & am sending it on it's way

thanks! 

Journal Entry 23 by GoryDetails from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, August 03, 2004

The book arrived back home safely in today's mail, and may have done the most traveling in the shortest period of time of any bookring I've seen; thanks, and I'm glad you all enjoyed it!

As I still haven't made the trip to visit Gorey's house, now a museum, in Barnstable MA, I may try to get there soon, and wild-release this somewhere nearby... 

Journal Entry 24 by GoryDetails at Bocal Cafe and B istro, 164 Sullivan in New York City, New York USA on Friday, August 20, 2004

Released 7 yrs ago (8/20/2004 UTC) at Bocal Cafe and B istro, 164 Sullivan in New York City, New York USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

I left the book propped up on the menu stand of this lovely bistro at about 8:30 pm, after enjoying a wonderful dinner there with my friend Mike. (He had a vodka tonic, I had a gin and tonic - good release spot for Iron Tonic!)