Sunday, December 10, 2023

Sight Unseen: A Signed First Edition of Edward Gorey's The Other Statue

Edward Gorey's The Other Statue (1968) is marketed as The Secrets: Volume One. There are no further volumes nor, apparently, were any seriously intended, but it's an intriguing conceit. The book was collected in Amphigorey Again (2006) and has also been reprinted on its own. It is striking to find a signed first edition offered for $30 by Ken Sanders Rare Books of Salt Lake City. The original retail price was $3.00.


The listing has an excellent seller image of the book with its mysterious cover illustration, but it lacks a photograph of Gorey's signature. This then belongs to my ongoing Sight Unseen project. Rather than ask sellers for additional images which might tip them off to how good a deal they are offering, I dive in headlong and then report my findings here. There are risks involved but potentially satisfying rewards.


Edward Gorey
AbeBooks listing accessed November 4, 2023
https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Secrets-Volume-One-Statue-Gorey-Edward/31691961612/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=readmore_low



The book arrived with no evidence of a Gorey signature, alas.


The bookseller was very easy to deal with. The book had been listed incorrectly and I received a mailing label for a postage paid return via USPS. My money was refunded in full once they received the book back.


This happened twice to me this year with Gorey books that were supposedly signed but priced unrealistically low. The problem is a combination of seller carelessness and buyer greed. Hey, I'm looking for a good deal.



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