The Gilded Bat

Book excerpt: With his typically dark, droll humor, Edward Gorey presents the transformation of Maudie Splaytoe, a girl prone to staring at dead birds, into Mirella Splatova, a chic and mysterious prima ballerina. This woeful tale chronicles an ascent to the peak of fame, followed by an unexpected and dreadful demise. Gorey's exquisitely crafted illustrations of magical ballets, elegant drawing rooms, and stark apartments set the stage for this melodrama starring a slightly peculiar heroine. Faithfully re-released in this superb new edition, The Gilded Bat is one of the hundred or so eerily fanciful illustrated tales created by Edward Gorey (1925-2000) to the delight of his adoring fans. Gorey was also a playwright, an award-winning set and costume designer, and the creator of the animated introductions to the PBS series Mystery!