Edward Gorey: The Wuggly Ump and Other Delights Coloring Book

Edward Gorey created a diverse menagerie of characters and creatures, and one of his most popular is the Wuggly Ump, a beast that terrifies children while making us laugh, somehow. The story of the Wuggly Ump, “little wilful eyes” and all, is told here with line drawings to color. We've also included images from a few other Gorey books (Story for Sara, The Remembered Visit) and miscellany (cats included). Gorey’s originals are shown in miniature on the inside covers, some in color, but others, not, since he usually worked in black pen and ink.

Edward Gorey

Artist and author Edward Gorey (American, 1925–2000) is beloved for the boundless imagination and sharp humor exhibited in his more than 100 published works. Gorey was also a set and costume designer for innumerable theater productions, including a staging of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for which he won a Tony. He had a profound affection for literature, film, ballet, and animals. Cats and other odd creatures appear in many of his crosshatched illustrations. His humorously unsettling drawings of vaguely Victorian innocents facing unfortunate ends became familiar to a wide audience after appearing in the opening credits of the PBS television series Mystery! Gorey’s Cape Cod home, a veritable cabinet of curiosities, is now a museum celebrating his life and work.