The Bug Book

by Edward Gorey

Includes illustrations of insects doing a variety of unimaginable things

Genres: Picture Books, Comics, Fiction, Humor, Short Stories, Graphic Novels, Art

20 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Born in Chicago, Gorey came from a colourful family; his parents, Helen Dunham Garvey and Edward Lee Gorey, divorced in 1936 when he was 11, then remarried in 1952 when he was 27. One of his step-mothers was Corinna Mura, a cabaret singer who had a brief role in the classic film Casablanca. His father was briefly a journalist. Gorey's maternal great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey, was a popular 19th century greeting card writer/artist, from whom he claimed to have inherited his talents. He attended a variety of local grade schools and then the Francis W. Parker School. He spent 1944–1946 in the Army at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and then attended Harvard University from 1946 to 1950, where he studied French and roomed with future poet Frank O'Hara.

Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a surprise ending. You expect things to go one way in children's book and the ending surprises you by taking a dark turn.

There is a community of bugs of different colors that have fun together. Then an warring overlord bug moves in and begins to bully the bugs. They try and make friends to no avail. Then the bugs hatch a plan and they take care of the problem. It is over simplified and unexpected and it made me laugh. It is humor that probably goes over the heads of children.

This is a straightforward story Edward tells. I was very entertained by the bugs.

[NoNieqa Ramos · Rating 1 out of 5]

RACIST. ABHORRENT.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A children's tale with color. It's about 3 bug couples who are living their lives in peace until a beetle shows up and ruins their social life with his intrusion. They eventually flatten him with a rock and put his flattened corpse in an envelope addressed to "Whom it may concern".

[Amy (Other Amy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But, but, but it's RACIST!" No, I really don't think so. Maybe I'm wrong. Review to come.

(Reread in Amphigorey; reviewing separately.)

[Dorian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Racist.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, if not slightly racist story of group of Colourful bugs that live in tea cups and bottles. They have parties and get togethers and just generally enjoy being bugs. That is, until one day a huge ass black bug shows up to cause havoc by separating and alienating the little communities.



They try (not very hard) to reason with the black bug, without success. So the bugs think to themselves "fuck this shit lads we need to get rid of bugger". They concoct a cunning plan squash the life out of the poor black bug and leave him for the 5 o clock post.....Sicko's.

[Wert degnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can people say this book is racist, when there are no black human beings ? (Those things range in color from pink to dark brown). What's more, there are no red, yellow, or blue ones either. (Except perhaps those that are bleeding, have yellow fever, or are being choked to death.)

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! This was clever, and funny, and oh so amusing. Very simple and simply charming. The best Gorey I've read thus far.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful.....though too short as always.

[TJ Wilson]

I am entirely not sure what I should make of this!

[Radwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was a delightful tale of bugs enjoying their lives (murder aside). I wish I had that same resolve when dealing with my troubles.

[Nura · Rating 3 out of 5]

kehidupan para serangga yang tenang, tiba-tiba terganggu dengan kedatangan si serangga hitam. awalnya para serangga menyambut baik si serangga hitam, eh, dia malah merusak kehidupan sosial mereka. akhirnya para serangga rapat dari malam hingga dini hari dan melahirkan sebuah rencana. happy ending buat para serangga, bad ending buat si serangga hitam. moral dari cerita ini adalah: jangan kepo. coba kalo si hitam ga kepo, pasti dia gak bakalan gepeng ketiban batu dan diamplopin biar diposin seseorang

[An-Nisa Nur'aini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now this is what I call children book. The "they went on exursions together" and "squashed quite flat" parts are... nice and surprising enough :)))))

but still, the best part would be that final "enveloping" part.

[Wetdryvac · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite since childhood. Have moments where I seriously suspect it's racist, or pointing at racism though.

[Juushika · Rating 2 out of 5]

This feels like Gorey intentionally playing with and against his similarities to children's picture books, with limited success. The simple art and use of color is unusual for Gorey but, frankly, uninteresting; the humor and violence is distinctive in a picture book, and it has a bizarre charm, but again it isn't that interesting.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It wasn't as depressing as his other stories can be. I also really enjoyed the little color that went into this story. The bugs were cute! And the ending was great! It made me chuckle.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute allegory with just the right dose of darkness.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is downright, unexpectedly, charming!

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The black comedy of the climax saves this from being too cutesy and gooey, but then again I suppose the point of the opening cutesy gooeyness is to be subverted

[Canavan · Rating 2 out of 5]

✭✭

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly funny. I liked how the bugs handled the big bad bug at the end of the book. It was just weird enough to really make me chuckle.

[DamiaN · Rating 4 out of 5]

silly little bugs just commited a hate-crime

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very cute and reminds me of the animated shorts on "Sesame Street" in the 70's. Twisted and dark but funny. This is unlike the other stories I've read by Gorey, not quite as dark as the others but still enjoyable.

[Rick Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading Edward Gorey 2023. The Bug Book, Gorey's fifth, is deceptively simple. The color work is a delight, the drawings are spare, and the text, to the point. But the combination is more than the sum of its parts, and one suspects that is not a little biographical.

Favorite quote:
"There were also three red bugs, who were cousins of the blue bugs. They lived nearby, inside a blue bottle, which made them an interesting violet colour when they were at home. They were house -proud, and frequently polished the glass on both sides."

[Quitealice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my strong dislike of insects, I liked this book.