One of our favorite Edward Gorey books is this vaguely sinister comedy of manners, told in a set of fourteen rhyming couplets. The Doubtful Guest is the story of a solemn, mysterious, outdoor creature, dressed rather ordinarily in sneakers and a scarf, who appears on a winter night at a family's Victorian home and never leaves again. Gorey's eerie and charming illustrations accompany the verses, making this an enjoyably strange (and strangely enjoyable) read for all ages.

In the night through the house it would aimlessly creep, In spite of the fact of its being asleep. It would carry off objects of which it grew fond, And protect them by dropping them into the pond.

Hardcover, unpaginated. Illustrated throughout. 1957.