Customer Reviews

Such Nonsense!: An Anthology

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This is an incredible collection of some of the most hilarious English/American short poetry penned in the 19th century (and early 20th). It contains hundreds of entries written by dozens of authors, some famous, most obscure, all displaying here a studied skill in wordplay conjoined to a childish sense of humor. If you enjoy a good limerick, ballads about cannibals, horrible puns, scientific mockeries, pure Mother-goose style nonsense, literary parodies, and all other manner of poetic fun skillfully delivered in every meter under the sun, this book is for you.

Some sections of this anthology committed me to the floor in laughter. My favorite part is the "compendium" of re-writings of the classic "I Never Saw A Purple Cow" poem in the style of famous English poets; to anyone familiar with the writings of Milton, Keats, Kipling, etc., it's a stitch. The rendering of Carroll's "Jabberwocky" into Latin, German, and a football brawl is priceless. And, of course, just silly things, like poems entitled "The Dyspeptic Cannibal", "A Strike Among Poets", "How A Girl Was Too Reckless Of Grammar By Far", and "The Romance Of The Carpet". Most every entry is a gem.

A few caveats: the only thing that has changed about this book in its reprinting appears to be the cover. This is an old book, and there are several poems and illustrations that are definitely not politically correct, particularly with reference to African-Americans. Nothing vulgar, however. And, since the new reprinted edition only changed the cover, do try to obtain an older edition if you can. The new floppy yellow cover just doesn't have the same character as an old, gray hardcover, even if it is guaranteed to be in better shape. This is a quaint old book written by and for nutty English majors (largely), and a gaudy yellow softcover just doesn't do it justice.