AS EDWARD IMAGINED
By Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Marc Majewski
Alfred A. Knopf, 2024
ISBN: 9781984893802
48 pages, 8.5 x 0.55 x 11 inches
From an acclaimed author and illustrator team, here is a definitive picture book biography about a true original and creative genius: Edward Gorey.
Discover the unique childhood and life of the enigmatic and eccentric Edward Gorey whose artwork and books had a profound impact on creators such as Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, and Tim Burton.
Even as a young boy, readers learn that Edward constantly forged his own path, passions, and pursuits never forsaking his individuality for fame.This brilliant picture book biography is paired with a whimsical art style that captures the unrelenting creativity Edward brought to his playfully macabre creations.
* 2024 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books *
CANADA (La Pastèque, 2025)
“In a world bound by rules and conventions, what’s it like to be someone “content to do his own thing, in his own way, in his own time”? Burgess (Sylvester’s Letter) and Majewski (The Art of Rewilding) provide an answer in this splendid biography of creator Edward Gorey (1925–2000). Prolific and one-of-a-kind, Gorey stands out from these pages as profoundly fulfilled—a figure of unwavering authenticity and creativity.”
— ★ Publishers Weekly
“For children intent on marching to the beat of a different drummer and needing some encouragement to keep that beat, there could hardly be a better example (if not, perhaps, role model) than Edward Gorey—who, “when fame came calling,” Burgess writes in his admiring summation, “chose creative freedom above all.” (…) Majewski evokes both with scenes in loosely brushed acrylics of a child with a distant gaze growing into a bearded icon in a shaggy fur coat, then lounging in a cluttered studio among cats, books, peculiar puppets, and vaguely menacing monsters or figures in Edwardian dress. VERDICT Required reading for independent spirits.”
— ★ School Library Journal
“Majewski’s illustrations, acrylic paintings on paper, are created in a refreshingly childlike style. An original picture-book biography featuring a brilliant individual who was a widely admired artist.”
— Booklist
“An admiring, and admirable, tribute to an iconoclastic artist.”
— Kirkus
