Edward Gorey, Girl Detectives, Foods of the World, Oxford Magic & More: Endnotes 20 February

Every Friday, we celebrate the weekend — and all the reading and relaxing and daydreaming time ahead — with Melissa's favorite book- and travel-related links of the week. Why work when you can read fun stuff?!

This post is part of our Endnotes series.

This Sunday is what would have been Edward Gorey’s 101st birthday, he of the full-length fur coat, espresso-black sense of humor, and elegantly villainous take-down of posh Victorian society. Gorey was born in Chicago on February 22, 1925, and attended the Art Institute of Chicago and Harvard. But he’s probably most closely associated with Manhattan (where he was in the audience for every performance of the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine) and later, Cape Cod, where you can visit The Edward Gorey House museum. (Can’t get there in person? The online shop is pretty fantastic.) Gorey is generally described as a ‘prodigy’: At the age of 18 months (!), he drew his first pictures, and he taught himself to read by the age of three. His first book, published in 1953, is The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr. Earbrass Writes a Novel, an illustrated, satirical novella about a novelist suffering from writer’s block at his country estate. He went on to write more than 100 books, including The Doubtful Guest (image of the cute, invading monster above), The Gashlycrumb Tinies (about the creative and wicked demise of 26 children; video here), and the posthumously published Saint Melissa the Mottled (about a nun who’s up to no good). On Sunday, I’ll be celebrating his gorgeously perilous works by reading a book-that-could-double-as-a-weapon: E Is for Edward, a massive hardcover — it weighs 5.5 pounds — that showcases all of his output and is organized by themes, including ‘hapless children, mutant menageries, the murder mystery, the ballet, sartorial elegance, stylized decor,’ and more. Treat yourself to this excellent video about Edward Gorey from CBS Sunday Morning. Here are some photos of the time we assembled Gorey’s Dracula toy theatre.

• News you can use: Deanna Raybourn’s new Veronica Speedwell adventure is out on 03 March! It’s called A Ghastly Catastrophe, and it’s classic Veronica and Stoker (compliment). The two get sucked into an investigation that might include a vampire (!) and definitely involves a secret society. Romantic and dangerous hijinks ensue. Deanna is going on a book tour and Goodreads is hosting a giveaway. I read this book a few weeks ago and loved it.

• These 21 professional reviews of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights span decades and are filled with outrage. So amusing.

• Related: The fantastic After Dark podcast recently released an episode about the Brontës, much of which was recorded on the Yorkshire moors and the Brontë Parsonage.

• 7 of the Most Scandalous Romantic Plot Twists in Classic Literature. This list would make a great reading project for the year.

• Just in case you want to go down the rabbit hole of Nancy Drew: This Nancy Drew library is a directory to every flavor of Nancy Drew stories, organized by era and reading level.

• Daydreamy! The best country house hotels across the UK.

• What the heck is a tansy?!

• You may or may not know that I used to play flat track roller derby, so friends send me the latest news from the world of racing around a track whilst bashing into other people. This story about an indigenous roller derby team in Canada is the feel-good vibes we need. (Thank you, Kate G!)

• Did you know there are conspiracy theories about Jane Austen’s death? ‘In 2011, crime novelist Lindsay Ashford seized on the fact that traces of arsenic had been found in the Pride and Prejudice author’s body, and concluded that she must have been poisoned.’ (!!!)

• I went through a period when I collected the cookbooks in the Time-Life Foods of the World series. They’re creative and inspiring, and a way to time-travel back to the 1960s view of the world (and ideas about photography). As old-timey as they feel, the recipes are still bangers! The French Fries and Martinis Substack is spending 2026 with a romp through the cookbook series. ‘I’ll write about each of the volumes of these cookbooks–who helped put them together, the stories they tell, the claims they make… When possible, I’ll also make a recipe from each book, with plenty of marginalia to share the results.’

• Related: The Travel Book Club recommends cookbook stores worth the trip. I can confirm that Omnivore Books on Food in San Francisco is pretty fab. (I did a signing for my cookbooks there once!)

• Looking at these lush paintings by Jean Béraud is very soothing — like teleportation into Paris of the past.

• My favorite link this week is this story of magic, whimsy, curiosity, storytelling, and unusual marketing in Oxford. (Hat tip to Caroline Crampton and her free weekly Thursday Thirteen newsletter that’s always filled with reading treasures.)

• Well, this new library-themed online game looks super fun. ‘Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! is a single-player simulation. You need to return scattered books to their proper places in an Arcane Library… Use your skills and strategies to shelve 3,072 books as quick as you can.’

• Very relevant to our interests: 20 Books That Take Readers Around the Globe.

• See also:

• Christie’s list of must-see art exhibits around the world.

• Finally, if February is getting you down (relatable), here’s a list of 12 reasons why February is actually awesome. (How is it possible that I agree with every point and still want to stab February in the neck with a fork?!)

Wishing you a perfectly wicked weekend.

Top image courtesy of The Doubtful Guest by Edward Gorey.