The Doubtful Guest Book

Is it a bird? Is it a penguin in tennis shoes? It's almost certainly not Superman anyway. Whatever type of creature the eponymous guest might be, turning up uninvited and most definitely unwanted one dark and blustery night, he is most assuredly to be commended for his absolute determination not to take a hint. Despite the obvious indignation of the stuffy Victorian inhabitants of the abode he chooses to make his own (after all, who could tolerate with a smile a guest with a tendency to lick the walls and hide the soup tureen?), the guest stays purposelessly in situ for seventeen years. Told in witty rhyming couplets together with subversive gothic illustrations, The Doubtful Guest is yet another example of the genius of Edward Gorey and I would recommend that anyone and everyone should start reading his books at the earliest opportunity. However, anyone who does find this book to be something of which they grow fond, best be careful not to following the Guest"s example and drop it in the pond.

''Doubtful Guest'' is available as a hardback gift editions.

Edward Gorey, Edward Gorey (Illus)