Always One Button Short: The Buttons of Edward Gorey

by Jonas Ploeger, Edward Gorey, Kevin McDermott (Foreword)

A master of the mysterious, Edward Gorey's artworks and writings abound with misadventures, oddities, and oblique humor. His forays into experimental theater follow suit, and to much delight, he designed pin-back buttons to accompany them. Now coveted by collectors, these bespoke buttons-created as souvenirs for the plays, puppet shows, revues, and other "entertainments" that Gorey wrote, designed, or directed-possess a curiosity factor disproportionate to their small size. Flapping Ankles, Inverted Commas, or Tinned Lettuce? Such buttons and the shows they were based on offer send-ups of staid conventions (idiosyncratic napkin folding, anyone?) or make cryptic suggestions to "Embrace Etceterism."

But he didn't stop there-in his trademark style Gorey both lauded and gently spoofed his beloved New York City Ballet, and even dabbled in a bit of political commentary. With each button Gorey fashioned, he put the wearer at the center of a memory, a recollection of a particular place and time.

Buttons (Gorey's especially, with their enigmatic designs) necessitate some form of personal connection-perhaps a laugh or a discussion, but at least an offering from one person to another. Gorey made his buttons as a reminder that one had "been there," had made that connection, and would carry that moment with them-literally and figuratively.

Always One Button Short showcases a selection of Gorey's compact creations, researched and photographed by noted Gorey collector Jonas Ploeger. Kevin McDermott, longtime Gorey collaborator and author of Elephant House; or, The Home of Edward Gorey (Pomegranate), introduces the collection with a personal essay, recalling the history and meaning of his own Gorey button.

Genres: Nonfiction

64 pages, Hardcover

Published July 15, 2022

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge Gorey fan so this was a brilliant treat. It’s a collection of reproductions of buttons (i.e. lapel badges) made by Gorey, some for the New York City ballet in the seventies but mostly as gifts or keepsakes for the cast and crew of theatre productions based on his work. There’s a single page for each example, so that the details of Gorey’s artwork, use of colours and slogans are easy to see. The images, captured by Jonas Ploeger another obsessed fan, are trademark Gorey, a wonderful mix of the lugubrious, macabre or outright bizarre with the odd dash of unexpected exuberance; some are just very, very strange like the series based on folded napkins or the illustration for Flapping Ankles an inexplicable combination of an infant, a toad and an aubergine. These designs are introduced by Kevin McDermott who’s overseen a number of Gorey shows and first met the author when he worked on a Gorey production Tinned Lettuce. Beautifully produced by Pomegranate who are known for their Gorey-centric books.

Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher Pomegranate for an ARC

[Sherwestonstec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I’ve always loved buttons that you pin on your hat or backpack or jean jacket, and I even own a few of these Edward Gorey pins that he produced for the New York City Ballet. These tiny tiny drawings he did for these buttons that he designed are fabulous!

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm... as this is forced to admit, this is a collection of other people's souvenirs. Edward Gorey, that wacky artiste of little more than cult fame (or at least that's how I think he's viewed here in the UK), did a lot of performance pieces as designer or director, and all the crews got little badges he designed as mementos. And here they all are – well, all but one or two. Context is low on the ground, but so is interest for the non-completist – Gorey seems a specialist, acquired taste, and this esoteric, non-commercial side of his output even more so. If you knew of the badges, had earned a few of them or were on the way to collecting them all, this will probably be perfect, but even then will appear short on text. If you know nothing of the vaguely dark, mildly punning artist, this will mean naff all. And for the many, many people in between those extremes, this will remain a five minute browse at most.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's there is great, but there's almost nothing there. A very slender book with one badge per page and a LOT of white space.

[Kara Kvasnicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun!!!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"New" Edward Gorey? What an unexpected delight! Picked up yesterday at Vampire Unicorns, a fun curio shoppe that just opened down the street from me.