Edward Gorey (1925-2000) was a writer, illustrator, and Tony Award-winning costume designer born in Chicago. He studied briefly at the Art Institute of Chicago before studying French literature at Harvard College. In 1953 Gorey published The Unstrung Harp, the first of his many books, which include The Curious Sofa, The Haunted Tea-Cosy, and The Epiplectic Bicycle. Tom Fitzharris was a close friend of Edward Gorey in the 1970s. He currently lives in New York City and East Hampton and gives tours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.