Edward Gorey

The most interesting thing happened yesterday. I checked my mailbox at work and found a slim parcel. This was inside -- a book of fascinating and curious little stickers that I never ordered. There was no note.

It came from Blackwell's, a book shop in Oxford. So I called Blackwell's, thinking there had been some sort of mistake. They confirmed it was ordered for me, but would not reveal the sender -- they said only that it was someone with a Gmail address (like half the planet).

I have no earthly idea who might have sent me this or why. I love the little drawings, but I've never expressed an affinity for Edward Gorey, who was an American author and book illustrator. If you'd asked me before yesterday, I could have told you he was an artist, but that's about it.

Turns out he's known for his whimsical, vaguely unsettling depictions of Victorian and Edwardian characters and fantastic creatures, like someone's nightmare "Downton Abbey."

So I'm thinking there are a couple of possibilities here. One, it's a mistake -- someone ordered it and accidentally had it shipped to me rather than its rightful recipient. Somehow I think this is most probable.

Two, it's an anonymous gift -- in which case it's AWESOME but I wish the sender had given me a hint who sent it! I would love to thank that person for an interesting present that has made me learn more about an intriguing artist. (If it's someone out there in Blogland, THANK YOU!)

One of the stickers, by the way, does look a bit like Olga. And Olga does love her skateboards -- though she prefers chasing them to riding them. I'm not sure she appreciates bugling, though.