Mysterious Messages, Cryptic Cards, Coded Conundrums, Anonymous Notes Book of Postcards

Gorey’s ingenious and witty illustrations make these cards a delight for sending messages to friends. Ink takes a long time to dry on the shiny backs so I bought blotting paper. I also mail the cards in envelopes. These may be considered inconveniences if you’re not a Gorey devotee so I gave 4 stars.

This book is from Pomegranate Communications, a company that has published scores of postcard books. If you're familiar with Pomegranate, you have a pretty good idea what you're getting here. The postcards are perforated and have to be torn out, but they generally come out fairly easily and do not have too ragged an edge. The card stock is good for postcards, and so far, the cards I have sent seem to have made it through the mails unmolested.Now, about these cards in particular: Each postcard contains a Gorey image with enough detail to reward people who take the time to look closely at the cards and see whether they can find any cryptic material. I didn't find anything truly clever, but it still was fun to look at the intricate artwork. Each card features a letter, as you can see if you look at the cover. That seems to be the dominant theme of the cards, but I would have preferred to see more of the dark humor I associate with much of Gorey's work.You should know that the dimensions of the cards exceed the maximum for the United States Postal Service's postcard rate, so these will require letter postage. The dimensions of these cards are about 4 3/4" by 6 1/2". (The maximum size for postcard rate is, according to the USPS website, 4 1/4 by 6.)

Large 61/2" x 4 3/4" postcards with larger then life images of Edward Gorey's work. The images are crisp and on good card stock. I bought these for the images to study Edward Gorey's line work but I will be buying a second set to send out for Halloween.

Fun

I love Edward Gorey's illustrations. The reason I didn't give this product 5 stars is because some of the original backgrounds have been cropped and/or photoshopped out. It makes sense, given the smaller size of the postcard format - BUT - it reduces the nervous, scratchy, claustrophobic nature of the images in his books. They become Edward Gorey light, (which some people might prefer). Each illustration in this book has a postcard incorporated into it, which is a clever touch. The postcards are oversized, which will require additional postage. The cards are a decent weight paper with a glossy finish. All in all, this is a good quality product!

Another Gorey gift for my friend Gary, who introduced me to Edward Gorey's wonderfully macabre humor books and art many years ago, when we lived in St. Louis. We still exchange birthday gifts, even though I haven't seen him and his delightful wife for over twenty-five years, and Gorey gifts are always a winner with him (and with me!).

Excellent to send for special people.

Gorey's drawings are witty, odd, and thought provoking. Who could ask for more. The cards are beautiful, and have lots of writing space on the back.

Tear out postcards of the macabre kind. Delightful.

disturbingly brilliant

SO fantastic! If you love Gorey, you've got to get these - big, heavy, quality paper and printing. Lots of different pictures - not just the same old. Best for sharing with appreciative friends. If you can part with them....

I got these postcards to use on Postcrossing and they are excellent. Fantastic quality, nice and sturdy and thick.The artwork is fabulous. I highly recommend these :)

I love the cards themselves, but I disliked that the price fluctuated by $10 just as I received them....