The Gashlycrumb Tinies, an abecedary from the hand of Edward Gorey (American, 1925–2000)-and probably his most famous book-details in rhymed iambic pentameter the fates of twenty-six young people. None came to a happy end. So it often was with Mr. Gorey's dramatis personae, forlorn women and men (and children) who seem to spend their days wandering topiary mazes, wringing their hands, and falling victim to unforeseeable accidents. When he was not busy with one of the scores of books he wrote and illustrated over a long career, Mr. Gorey frequented the ballet, directed amateur theatricals, prepared the costumes and sets for a staging of Dracula, and designed the opening credits for the PBS series Mystery!