Always One Button Short Book

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 t