Instant Lives – Edward Gorey 1974

A humor classic―fractured biographical moments from the lives of great writers and composers. Loosely based on historical anecdotes, this is a collection of mostly imagined encounters between literary figures and their real or imagined family members, friends, and bitter enemies. In Howard Moss’s satirical voice and Edward Gorey’s twenty-five deadpan illustrations, we see Jane Austen wielding artful passive aggression and Sense and Sensibility galleys, the Alcott girls sculpting fudge, the rise of Emily Dickinson’s ruthless witch hazel business, among other delights. Perfect for those who love literature too much to hold it closely to actual facts.