The Curious Sofa: A Pornographic Work by Ogdred Weary

by Edward Gorey | Graphic Novels |
ISBN: 0151003076 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/11/2004
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13 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Since my first copy of this book got itself temporarily lost in the mail - and on its first hop in a bookring, too - I thought I'd hazard this one in its place and hope it fares better. [I've copied my comments and the bookring list from the other entry.]

Subtitled "A Pornographic Work by Ogdred Weary" [Ogdred Weary is an anagram of - well, I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader!].

"The Curious Sofa" isn't quite as pornographic as the subtitle indicates; it's more of a demonstration of the power of suggestion, as the weekend guests at a country house disport themselves in a variety of never-quite-specified activities, the nature of which is vaguely (or not-so-vaguely) hinted at by the accompanying illustrations. Example: "Lady Celia led Alice to her boudoir, where she requested the girl to perform a rather surprising service." (The illustration shows Alice standing, apparently unclothed, behind a screen, nibbling on one of her grapes. Whatever could be happening, we wonder!)

The other guests tend to be "exceptionally well-made youths" or "uncommonly well-shaped older men", and then there's the "delightfully sympathetic" French maid...

Since this is Gorey, there's a mix of silliness and frivolity with a growing sense of unease, and a rather startling denouement. I really like this little tale!

Journal Entry 2 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Try, try again:

I've organized a bookring for "The Curious Sofa"; mailing order follows. [If you have any questions or concerns about the mailing order, postage costs, etc., please PM me. Since the book's a small one, it's possible that it may be cheaper to mail via first-class than media rate within the US, and airmail vs. surface mail internationally - you can certainly ask about the options, anyway. If the media or surface-mail rate is cheaper, that's perfectly acceptable; please mention this in your journal entry, though, so the next person will know whether to expect the book within a week or within a month or two {wry grin}.]

When you receive the book, please journal it, check the list to see who's next in line, and PM that person for their address so you'll have it ready when you've finished the book. [Note: even if you've sent books to that person before, please PM them before mailing this one, to confirm that the address is correct and that they're able to take on a bookring book at this time.]

Try and read the book promptly; I don't have a hard and fast time limit here, but if you don't think you'll be able to get to the book within, say, two weeks of receiving it, I'd appreciate it if you'd post an update either as a journal entry or in your profile, by way of indicating you haven't forgotten about the book completely. Since this is a very slim book I hope it won't interfere with other reading too much!

When you're ready to pass the book along, please make another journal entry with your comments, and stating where you've sent it; then set the status code to "traveling". And I hope everybody enjoys the book!

Participants, in mailing order:

spaceystacey (NJ)
ToXiCKiTTiKiSS (CA)
Aramena [was casseytara] (OK)
BountifulPots [formerly known as rslicer] (KS)
mysteryfan03 (MO)
three104 (WI)
Stensler (WI)
cestmoi (Canada)
daidy (MI)
enidq (IL)
Rampallion (IL)
Obsessivereader (VA)

NOTE: The book got this far before being lost in the mail, so I'm continuing the bookring from this point with the previous copy.

weeblet (VA)
LindaR (SC) [skipped - no response to PMs]
meshe (GA)
may-eve (OR)
Mundoo (Australia)
celestewa (Australia)
ellymae58 [CA]
SandDanz [IN]

...and back to GoryDetails (NH)

Journal Entry 3 by spaceystacey from Bridgeton, New Jersey USA on Friday, May 14, 2004
Received in the mail yesterday and ready to send it on its way today. Not really my "cup of tea".

Journal Entry 4 by TemekuGirl from Temecula, California USA on Wednesday, May 19, 2004
I received this today and started reading it as soon as I opened the package. It was quite interesting and you had to mostly assume this or that. It was an alright book anyways. Thanks for letting me read this.

Journal Entry 5 by wingAramenawing from Noble, Oklahoma USA on Monday, May 24, 2004
What a strange little book! Full of inuendos that basically tell the story for you. It came in the mail Saturday and I read it while sitting at the soccer field waiting for Tara's first game to start. Then I read it again this morning. Now I am very curious about that sofa...

Waiting for BountifulPots to confirm her address and then off it will go. Thanks GoryDetails!

Journal Entry 6 by BountifulPots on Friday, May 28, 2004
I read this immediately upon opening the package. It's classic Gorey in the art, which I love, and quite an odd little tale otherwise! I enjoyed it, and will send it on tfor the njoyment of the next person as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 7 by mysteryfan03 from Moberly, Missouri USA on Friday, June 18, 2004
Got this in the mail last night and put it in line with my other rings. Later, I couldn't resist and pulled it out to read! What an interesting little tale. I am sure that you would see more each time you looked at it. And I'm really curious about that couch too! Did I miss something?

I thought that the turtle woman label in the front of the book was appropriate. She kind of reminds me of the drawings in the book.

Anyway, I will mail this on when I get an addy. Thanks Gory for this interesting little book!!


BTW- Mailed this out on 6-21-04

Journal Entry 8 by ThreeSixNine from Catawba, Wisconsin USA on Friday, June 25, 2004
Arrived today and have gone through it a couple times -- how odd. Where are they finding all of these "extremely well-endowed" "unusually well-formed" or "remarkably well-set-up" men? Even the dog is "well-favoured." And what kind of entertaining tricks do the colonel and his wife do with their wooden legs? The mind boggles :o) !!

Will pass on to next person as soon as I get the address.

Mailed out 6-26-04.

Journal Entry 9 by Stensler from Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA on Monday, June 28, 2004
Recieved in the mail today... should finish it today...

Journal Entry 10 by Stensler from Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA on Monday, June 28, 2004
An extremely well endowed little book!

Gorey's art and his sub-text are perfectly minimalist. In his classic way he leaves most of the story up to your imagination. I imagine this book was amusingly risqué by 1961's standards. But today, with soft-core porn on Fox, still a very humorous read.

Thanks GoryDetails!

I am going to hand this off to my girlfriend Eireann to read and journal. I still should be able to get it in the mail to the next person as soon as I get her address.

Journal Entry 11 by Stensler from Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA on Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Mailed to cestmoi yesterday. Enjoy and thank you!

Journal Entry 12 by wingcestmoiwing from Hamilton, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, July 6, 2004
This arrived sometime over the lsat week while I was away. I've just flipped thru it so far..and oh my!!! Will journal again soon.

Journal Entry 13 by wingcestmoiwing from Hamilton, Ontario Canada on Sunday, July 11, 2004
Very funny little story. I always knew about Gorey's illustrations but not about his stories until Bookcrossing and Gorydetails! Thanks to both of them. I really enjoyed this and laughed each time I read it - which was at least 5!

This is all set to continue its journey.

Journal Entry 14 by daidy on Friday, July 23, 2004
Received today, safe and sound.

Journal Entry 15 by Enidq on Wednesday, August 4, 2004
This was definatley an interesting read. I am ready to send it off to the next BCer.

Journal Entry 16 by Enidq at Post Office in South Elgin, Illinois USA on Saturday, August 14, 2004
Released on Saturday, August 14, 2004 at Post Office in South Elgin, Illinois USA.

Released to fellow BCer.

Journal Entry 17 by rampallion from Evanston, Illinois USA on Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Arrived today. I love Edward Gorey, and I've wanted to read this for ages. Thanks!

Journal Entry 18 by rampallion from Evanston, Illinois USA on Thursday, August 19, 2004
An uncommonly well-formed book. I don't even want to think about how they used the saucepan.
Sent to Obsessivereader today via mediamail. Should arrive in about a week. Enjoy!

Delivery confirmation number 0304 1070 0001 5967 0696
Check www.usps.com for updates.

Journal Entry 19 by Obsessivereader from Alexandria, Virginia USA on Friday, August 27, 2004
I love Edward Gorey - and this is a a very funny book! You may need to have a twisted sense of humor to enjoy this. I laughed out loud all the way through it. Thank you for sending this on to me, Rampallion -- and thank you for sending the book out (twice!), GoryDetails. Great fun!

Journal Entry 20 by Obsessivereader from Alexandria, Virginia USA on Monday, September 13, 2004
I am mailing this to Weeblet today.

Journal Entry 21 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Bookring update: Since it appears that this copy of The Curious Sofa has decided to copy its predecessor and get lost in the mail, I've decided to tag-team the bookring with that other copy - which did eventually turn up, so perhaps this one will resurface someday too? Anyway, the first copy of the book is on its way to BCer weeblet in Virginia, and let's all just hope that it had enough freedom on its last time out and decides to travel sedately from here on. [And if this copy ever turns up again, I'd just like to say, "Come home; all is forgiven!"]

Journal Entry 22 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, May 27, 2005
Update: as of today, the first copy of the book made it home after a trip around the world. Just wanted to let those of you on the tag-team half of the bookring see where its partner has been!

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