Written by Edward Gorey, the book was first published in 1963. In it. Gorey tells the tale of 26 children (each representing a letter of the alphabet) and their untimely deaths in rhyming dactylic couplets, accompanied by the author’s distinctive black and white illustrations. It is one of Edward Gorey’s best-known books, and is the most notorious amongst his roughly half-dozen mock alphabets. It has been described as a “sarcastic rebellion against a view of childhood that is sunny, idyllic, and instructive”. The morbid humor of the book comes in part from the mundane ways in which children die. Far from illustrating the dramatic and fantastical childhood nightmares, these scenarios instead poke fun at the banal paranoias that come as a part of parenting. Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an American writer and artist noted for his illustrated books. His characteristic pen-and-ink drawings often depict vaguely unsettling narrative scenes in Victorian and Edwardian settings.
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A is for AMY who fell down the stairs |
| B is for BASIL assaulted by bears |  |
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C is for CLARA who wasted away |
| D is for DESMOND thrown out of a sleigh |  |
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E is for ERNEST who choked on a peach |
| F is for FANNY sucked dry by a leech |  |
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G is for GEORGE smothered under a rug |
| H is for HECTOR done in by a thug |  |
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I is for IDA who drowned in a lake |
| J is for JAMES who took lye by mistake |  |
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K is for KATE who was struck by an axe |
| L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks |  |
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M is for MAUDE who was swept out to sea |
| N is for NEVILLE who died of ennui |  |
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O is for OLIVE run through with an awl |
| P is for PRUE trampled flat in a brawl |  |
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Q is for QUENTIN who sank in the mire |
| R is for RHODA consumed by a fire |  |
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S is for SUSAN who perished of fits |
| T is for TITUS who flew into bits |  |
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U is for UNA who slipped down a drain |
| V is for VICTOR squashed by a train |  |
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W is for WINNIE embedded in ice |
| X is for XERXES devoured by mice |  |
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Y is for YORRICK whose head was knocked in |
| Z is for ZILLAH who drank too much gin |  |
