Elephant House; or, the Home of Edward Gorey

by Kevin McDermott (Photographer), Edward Gorey (Illustrator), John Updike (Introduction)

An intimate photographic tour of Edward Gorey's strange and wonderful house.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Photography, Biography, History, Architecture, Biography Memoir

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look into the artist Edward Gorey's house. Photographs of books shelves, cats, collections of bits and bobs. I love looking at peoples homes, their book shelves and their collections of bits and bobs that other people would think of as rubbish but looking into these pictures had a very gloomy feel. Reading the foreword when I had finished the book I realised what I had begun to suspect, after Edward had died somebody had asked to go in and photograph all the rooms and objects. I wonder how Edward would have felt about that, it felt a bit invasive and very sad to see his pets still there.

[Sara Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the chance a couple of weeks ago to go through Edward Gorey's house on Cape Cod. It was in many ways a disappointing experience, though there were many interesting things to look at. Disappointing, because the house had been cleaned up and turned into a museum of displays focusing on different parts of Gorey's oeuvre. The museum shop had this coffee-table book of photos of Gorey's house before it was scoured--and now I'm even more sad that they didn't leave his house as it was. It's clear he was a sort of curator of his own aesthetic experience: he collected bits of iron, and stones, and old stuffed animals, and rocks shaped like frogs...it's sad that THIS window into Gorey's unique psyche has been closed. I also wish there were even more photos here, though what's represented is gorgeous.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not very strange. Of course, a bunch of black-and-white photographs of a house at the end of winter, the house of a man who is noted for being way more goth and macabre than he actually was, yeah, I can see playing up the strange house.

It was a house with a truly staggering number of things in it. But then, he never had to share it with anyone except his cats, so he could indulge his inclinations. So many books. He must have been able to own and keep a very high percentage of everything he ever read (assuming that some portion were books he hadn't yet got around to, because every reader has those).

The queen cat on his bed after his death is one of the saddest images I've ever seen. I'd enjoy touring the house sometime, but what I'd really like to do is browse through his book collection.

Library copy

[Banzai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a picture book containing photographs of Edward Gorey's home in the state he left it before death. It's fascinating- FASCINATING the way this man assembled objects and how clearly he incorporated them into his work. It's an utter wreck, complete with a couch sacrificed to his feline muses and piles of papers and books; the sort of house that would make my mother turn on her heels and scream out the door faster than a burning banshee.


One day I'll have one just like it.

The text and photographs were lovingly recorded by Kevin McDermott, a good friend of his who shot the house before it was cleared out forever. The whole of the book is somber, sweet and bizarre in the most endearing way possible.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I appreciated more than anything was getting a first hand account from someone who knew Gorey, unlike the Mark Dery book which felt disconnected and open to the biographer's interpretation, this felt real. It also made me hate Mark Dery even more because he totally changed and skewed things to make his own points, especially in regard to the Charles Dickens bust in the "secret room," therefore I suggest just going back to the source materials, like this lovely book. While the black and white imagery might aesthetically suit the idea of Gorey I felt that McDermott's monochromatic images lacked something, whereas his color pictures are phenomenal. In fact seeing these amazingly lush images of the way Gorey curated his home and life not only gave me ideas for showcasing my own collections but I loved the idea that a man whose art was in black and white lived so surrounded by color (and cats.) The only real gripe I had is that a floorplan would have been nice... Oh, and now I really want to know what was up with Edward Gorey's frog obsession!

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique insight into the life of Edward Gorey, via his quirky house, which fit him to a "t."

[W.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always wanted to visit Edward Gorey's home, which was opened to the public after his death in 2000. The committed bachelor (here, for the first time in human history, that's not actually "code" for something else) left a trust for his cats to remain in his house after his death and so they did. I'm sure the cats are all gone now, padded softly off to tenth life everlasting heaven. But I imagine they thought Edward was playing the longest game of hide-and-seek ever for a number of years.

This one is probably more for the Goreyphiles out there. There are an increasing number of us, as his fan base seems to be growing rather than dwindling each year. A significant number of people will always love the macabre, and who doesn't love humor, and Gorey was all about both of those things. His artistic style is just sui generis and super-charming. He drew creatures that never were and people who should never be. It keeps us coming back for more.

John Updike wrote a surprisingly moving if super-brief introduction to this volume that does the artist justice. Kevin McDermott's photographs are wonderful, intimate, zooming in on just the objects in each room you'd want to approach. Most of the photographs are black and white, as Gorey's drawings were, mostly, but a few are splashes of color.

As I said, I had always wanted to visit the Elephant House, and this is the next best thing. It's a room by room tour with some great Gorey text accompanying. I was really shocked to learn that I have three "once in a lifetime" flea market finds that are also in Gorey's house. It was so strange to encounter these objects because I have literally never seen the three objects anywhere else in the world but in my house and his house. This means I would have probably loved being Gorey's flea market buddy except for the fact that we might have become mortal enemies had we both reached for the same object at once. Luckily, the universe was kind enough to provide us each with duplicates and convinced us both they were sui generis.

Here is my favorite non-photographic page of the book reproduced in toto:

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

"Cats."

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing,
what do you think it would be?

"A stone."

What is your favorite journey?

"Looking out the window."

Dick Cavett had the prescience to interview Edward Gorey for his show. I think that's because they would bump into each other in New York, at the ballet if I'm remembering correctly. Gorey was a huge balletomane. I think that was his only television appearance in his lifetime on a major network show. I could be wrong. I was going to share the link to the YouTube video here but it appears that it might have been yanked. Like Gorey himself though, I'm sure it will be back and back and back.

I wonder what sort of conversations Frank O'Hara had with Gorey at Harvard? I would love to see a Gorey drawing of a young Frank O'Hara. I can sort of see it in my mind's eye and it's rather like one of his scrawny effetes, which makes me wonder if maybe he did do a drawing of F.O.H., just at a polite remove.

[Cail Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intimate, macabre and a testament to a true collector. I enjoyed spending time with these photos and Gorey’s house. I hope he doesn’t mind my visit.

The final photo is truly haunting, and the forward by Updike is funny and thoughtful.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Gorey you would like this house. Hey, if they can have a reality tv show based on the houses of rich people or athletes, why not this house for we readers? The photography isn't all that, but through them we do get to see a bit of a glimpse of Gorey's gothic mind, through his collections of junk, stones, old stuffed animals, frogs, and thousands of books.

This is pretty much how he left it when he died, so that is interesting. It's kind of a wreck, but still pretty fascinating, but I like going through crazy estate sales and things like that.

Maybe the best parts are various elephant drawings that are included and some poems and interview excerpts scattered throughout. There was maybe a bit more analysis of the actual rooms and content than I needed--I mean, you can see the stuff!--but it's worth checking out only for Gorey enthusiasts, though.

[Robert Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the home of Edward Gorey. There is an appropriate sense or macabre due to Mr. Gorey having died only a week prior to the photo tour. Fans of this very private artist will be interested to see how and where he lived. Unfortunately, Mr. McDermotts' photographic skills are evidently amateurish. Most of the pictures are fuzzy, dark and out of focus. Consequently, the book is somewhat a disappointment, but nonetheless a fascinating record of the late artists' residence.

[Rebecca Long Okura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only wish there were more and more photos.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find Edward Gorey fascinating, and getting this glimpse into his life was priceless. But...

I really disagree with the decision to rend most of the images in black and white. I suppose it makes sense on an artistic level. Edward Gorey is famous for his black and white pen and ink sketches. He is dead after all, and perhaps black and white is fitting for death, but the overall impression is one of bleak, depressive sadness. I felt bad for him that he had to live in such a depressing house.

The few color images included give a hint that Edward Gorey's house wasn't quite as grey and dismal as all of the black and white images give the sense of, but there just weren't enough of them.

I only gave this two stars, because I was so depressed by the end, and I don't believe that was Mr. McDermott's intention at all.

[Bridgid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quiet and intimate book of photographs capturing small details or the expanse of a room which acts as an extension to Edward Gorey's mind and creativity. It's the antidote to perfect home design, shabby chic, or home designer's contrived object d'art. Captured during the cool damp spring immediately following the inhabitant's death, the house is imperfect, idiosyncratically functional, patinaed (decay, euphemism for cat piss), wild, and mysterious. Gorey's presence lingers in the books, the work station, the eccentric collections. The images are intersperse with poems and brief storytelling by the photographer. This is a lovely way to pass a November afternoon.

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a writer, I am always interested in learning more about artists whose work inspires me. Specifically, I like to see their offices, studios, spaces where the magic takes place. This book allows you to take a step inside the world Edward Gorey created and curated for himself. A world that very few were allowed to see while he was alive. I borrowed this book from the library and will certainly add a copy to my own.

[T Crockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully captures the details that even today make a visit to that house so memorable.

[Abby Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting pictures of Edward Goreys home.

[Jolie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and endearing little peak into Edward Gorey's life, from the eyes of a grieving friend.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Don hands you a book, you read it.

[S. Wigget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so wonderful!

[Avis Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather depressing, actually. For the collector of filials and old potato mashers.

[DoomFist7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very unique.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're an Edward Gorey fan, you'll love this book. With a forward by John Updike, it's pictures of his house as he left it. Since Gorey was such a private person, these are rooms that weren't seen by many people during his lifetime. The book is beautifully photographed, and there is a short into to each room, explaining its purpose and some of the items inside. There is also an introduction giving some background on how the author and Gorey knew each other.

This book is clearly a labor of love, with illustrations and excerpts from Gorey's work put in the book to help give a better picture of each room.

If you're not a fan of Gorey's work, I can't imagine that this book would be of any interest to you at all. Gorey had hoarder-tendancies - it's real treat to see how he furnished his life - but if you're not familiar with these references, this probably isn't worth your time.

[Rick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading 2023. A wistful exploration of a moment arrested, a week after Edward Gorey passed, his spirit (and his companions) very much still present in the home he loved. The photographs and text contribute to a rich portrait of a life lived well. McDermott had a great deal of foresight to document Gorey's home, and this book is an aesthetically pleasing collection of his efforts. The color images sing, and you get a sense of Edward's eye, and the dialogue between him and the house.

[jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a Christmas gift from someone who'd heard that I liked the work of Edward Gorey. It's a book of images taken of Gorey's home, called the Elephant House, by a close friend and photographer, about a week after the artist died. Gorey was a packrat, a collector of odd things, full of whimsy, a lover of cats. The photos capture a bit of that.

[Jamie Felton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who loves Edward Gorey should flip through this book. There's something revealing about the way Gorey lived. It is indicative of the kind of person he was, shadowy, mysterious, surprising. There are piles of trinkets and items he found laying around that somehow seem magical just because of the way he has placed them.

[David Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a look at and inside Ted Gorey's eclectic house on Martha's Vineyard. Gorey's gothic oddity is well captured in the photos, though my only criticism is that there are times it seems that rather than "showing the house" they are working very hard to recreate the oddity within the book itself. Maybe that is just my personal quibble, as overall, I quite enjoyed the book.

[Eling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This provided some neat (albeit limited) insight into the private life of Edward Gorey. I enjoyed seeing the types of collections he had in his home, and the photography + anecdotes of the author are enjoyable. Love seeing where the artist lived & worked, although I'm pretty sure he would be deemed a hoarder by many today...

[reading woman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This photo-journal offers the perfect opportunity to not only step into Gorey's house, but to take a stroll through each of his rooms. Gorey's rooms are not just rooms, but living libraries. A fantastic book!

[Logospilgrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is positively enchanting. What a joy it was to explore Edward Gorey's wonderful, whimsical, serene house! This is a book I turn to again and again; it gives me peace to gaze at the beautiful photographs contained therein.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

permission to make a home an installation, a performance, a visual haven for the heart & imagination.

& of course, Gorey! in a way - like in a dream - no surprises: we knew it would be magic of some kind.