When the first two volumes of A Series of Unfortunate Events were published, I sent copies to Gorey himself, after someone managed to get me the address of his house in Cape Cod, now a small, deadpan museum of his work. I enclosed a note saying how wild a fan I was of his books, and how I hoped he would forgive me for all I’d nicked from him. (I never heard back from Gorey, but shortly afterward he died. I like to think that I killed him)

— Daniel Handler

Edward Gorey is a proper Halloween author/illustrator. I mean…his last name is Gorey for crying in the dust.

Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, reflects on how Gorey influenced his work in his latest book And Then? And Then? What Else?

Handler, Daniel, and Snicket, Lemony. And Then? And Then? What Else? A Writer’s Life. United States, Oneworld Publications, 2024. pg 79,80