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Complete Nonsense of Edward Lear (Faber Childrens Classics)

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I was given this book by my father when I was seven years old and was thoroughly enchanted by it, and remain so to this day. The Owl and the Pussy Cat has passed into children's lore - many people know the rhyme through the song (was it Burl Ives?) or through new illustrated versions of it. They know the limericks (or at least the form, if not the rather esoteric content - the old man with the Beard, for instance, and the lady with the excessively long chin who

had it made sharp
and purchased a harp
and played several tunes with her chin).

But do they know of The Dong with the Luminous Nose, or the Pobble Who Has No Toes, or the short history of Violet, Slingsby, Guy, and Lionel? Or the illustrated botanical alphabet with such plants as the ManyPeeplia Upsidedownia (you'd have to see the drawing!) It would be impossible to say how many times I read, re-read, and enjoyed this book as a child and an adult, including the rather touching, affectionate introduction to the man himself.

Please, please buy this book. You'll never regret it.

This is an "unabidged and unaltered repliication of the work originally published 1947" which "is printed in an edition limited to 400 copies" by Amereon House, the publishing division of Amereron Ltd.

It includes the text and ilustrations of Lear's five pubished nonsense works and Holbrook Jackson's introduction titled "Edward Lear: Laureate of Nonsense".

A book to share and to treasure...Order your copy while stocks last.

The book is a lot of fun, but it can also be a serious tool for understanding English through its inventive vocabulary and the vivid imagery of the poems.

If you are a lit fan and want to share your love of reading and good poetry with your kids, this is a great book, full of ridiculous verse and equally ridiculous illustrations to go with it. I enjoy reading it, and my kids (2, 4, and 9) enjoy listening to it, even if they don't get all the references.

It was the works of Edward Lear that popularized the term limerick, and since these illustrations and stories were originally created by Edward Lear about one hundred years ago, you will need to take this into consideration when reading this book. It is quaint, but entertaining in its way, though don't expect to understand its message completely. It is nonsense after all. I am glad to have it and find it inspirational when considering certain artistic projects. It is fun, but dumb and that is the intention I believe. Very Kooky and certainly wacky, it rolls on and on. Try it, you will feel saner and more rational after sampling its pages.

Edward Lear is a name you may not recall;but who hasn't heard of the rhyme "The Owl And The Pussy-Cat"?He was a man of many talents;a painter,a writer,a poet,a world traveller;and a man who mixed with the rich famous and the establishment of his time.His output was immense,but the one thing that he was never able to do is to become prosperous from it all;in fact he was quite poor,never knew where the money would come from to pay his rent or even to buy his food and clothes.
Although he was very talented in the arts,even painted for the famous John Gould;it was from his somewhat childish sketches,verses and limericks that resulted in his work that we remember him today.In fact,of all those who ever put pen to paper and created limericks;Edward Lear has no peer.
This edition has a special feature in that it includes an Introduction of 20 pages by Holbrook Jackson who calls Lear "The Laureate Of Nonsense.If you have not heard of Jackson,you really should look into some of his work.He is one of the best known writers when it comes to the "world of books".He wrote "The Anatomy of Bibliomania" in 1950 and it is a classic.It is therefore not surprising that his Introduction to Edward Lear's most famous book is excellent.
As whimsical as his verse is,the sketches that he drew to accompany them are just as whimsical.
Just in case you've never come across Lear and his "Nonsense";here are a couple of examples.I'll have to leave the sketches that accompany them to your imagination.

"There once was an old man,who when little
Fell casually into a kettle;
But,growing too stout,He could never get out,
So he passed all his life in that kettle."

"The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey,and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy!O Pussy,my love,
What a beautifulPussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"