The Books Of Edward Gorey

Edward Gorey has written and illustrated many books. Despite not having a fondness for children his books were very popular with the little ones.
An example of his work is the book "The Insect God" which is about a little girl named Millicent Frastley who goes missing. It is a very dark morbid book with no happy ending. At one point the parents ask "Is there any hope she is still alive?"
As with other Gorey illustrations the pictures are in black and white and are line drawings. They make the already depressing story seem all the more bleak and dismal. The illustrations are so vivid that even without the words the reader can gain a sense of what is happening in the story. The use of black in this makes the images and stories seem dark and sinister.
The Insect God displayed on the front cover is drawn with a skull as its face like the Death's Head Hawk-moth which has a clear skull shaped pattern on its head. He has his wings stretched out giving an air of superiority. It is a creepy image setting the tone for what is to come within the book.
The dark subject matter and illustrations is the same for Gorey's story "The Gashlycrumb Tinies". Here as in "The Insect God" the children perish in various strange macabre ways.
Gorey's work is highly experimental. He tested producing books that were pop up and wordless and even matchbox size. He also used pseudonyms that were usually anagrams of his name, for example Ogdren Weary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gorey
The World Of Edward Gorey
The Insect God
The Possums Book Of Practical Cats