I've been a fan of Edward Gorey ever since I read The Gashlycrumb Tinies, a macabre tale of 26 children (one for each letter in the alphabet) and their untimely demise. One of my favourites was "N is for Neville who died of ennui." As a child, I mourned for poor Neville yet secretly admired him. To manage to die of ennui, after all! Quite the feat.

This afternoon I dropped by the Osborne Collection Of Early Children's Books and visited the Gorey Tales exhibit: selections from the Edward Gorey Collection, which is running until December 7th. You can find the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books in Toronto Public Library's Lillian H. Smith District Branch at College and Spadina, on the fourth floor.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never been to the Osborne before. Apparently it was named after British librarian Edgar Osborne, who gave his extensive collection of children's books to the Toronto Public Library in 1949. For anyone with interest in kids' lit, the Osborne Collection is a treasure trove of historical children's books ranging from a 14th century manuscript of Aesop's fables through Victorian classics and more. I was so impressed that I joined the
Friends of the Osborne and Lillian H. Smith Collections on the spot.

You can find out more information about the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books online, including upcoming events and exhibits.

Hours: Mon-Fri 10a-6p, Sat 9-5.

Illustration from The Gashlycrumb Tinies: or, After The Outing by Edward Gorey, published in 1963.