Artist, illustrator and writer Edward Gorey would have turned 100 this year, and the recently published 'From Ted to Tom: The Illustrated Envelopes of Edward Gorey' is a fitting celebration of his wit and talent. The book reproduces, in stunning detail, a series of 50 elaborately illustrated envelopes Gorey created in the mid-1970s. But when I started reading 'From Ted to Tom,' I felt confused ' and a little let down. There are dozens of his own books, notably 'The Doubtful Guest' and 'The Gashlycrumb Tinies,' as well as cover designs for many others; sets and costumes for the 1977 Tony Award-winning revival of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'; the opening credit sequence for the PBS television series 'Mystery!'; 'The Fantod Pack,' a deck of Tarot-like cards; and hand-sewn, surrealist dolls. His stories often feature adults and children alike who meet untimely ends through mostly hilarious, unlikely accidents ' and, yes, the occasional straight-up murder. But they're never gratuitous, nor do...
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