Edward Gorey...

[mbx_pdx]

I'm surprised that nobody has brought up this gentleman's work. Admittedly, it is dark humour, but his methods of writing are delightful, at least to me, in the manner in which they cavort on the tongue.

As for vocabulary, I would recommend his piece, "The Nursery Freize," which is a series of marching nondescript creatures voicing various words of obscurity and lingual delight. "Lunistice," "obloquy," "ampersand," et cetera.

Is anyone else here a fan or am I so totally off topic as to be ostracized?

[Brazilian dude]

No, we won't turn you into an oyster, I'm a big fan of Roald Dahl myself.

Brazilian dude

[KatyBr]

We don't punish the off-topic(ers), we applaud them, but do try to be very clever when going off.....

Kt

[mbx_pdx]

Roald Dahl is definitely a favorite.
I find Douglas Adams to be a fine wordsmith, as well.
Carl Sagan [See the signature] wrote exactly as if he were talking, lovely books.
And, of course, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe should not be left out.

[KatyBr]

My all-time favorite is Dean Koontz, I love his descriptions, they make for some awesome visuals in stories filled with the macabre. Bill Cosby, forty years ago said "scare me to death, yeah, scare me to death."

Kt
(scare me to death, yeah)

[mbx_pdx]

Howard Phillips Lovecraft. That literature scares me to death.
In a good way. Incredibly verbose gentleman. I suppose one would have to be, being mostly bedridden for life...