The Humorous Verse of Lewis Carroll (Dover Classics for Children) (Paperback)

~ Lewis Carroll (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Verse, puzzles, "The Hunting of the Snark," acrostics, poems from larger works — largest collection of Carroll verse in print. 130 illustrations by Tenniel, Carroll, others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 446 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486206548
• ISBN-13: 978-0486206547
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,728,264 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Goblins, and fairies and snarks, oh my!!, March 19, 1997

By A Customer

For those who think verse is boring and effete, take these Lewis Carroll treasures and discover a true joy of poetry! Magical, innocent, and just plain strange, Carroll brings out the wonder of the imagination through jaunty verse. He also wrote some beautiful and not-widely-known love poems. This is one for the bookshelf in all our hearts

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Did gyre and gimble in the wabe' , May 1, 2005

By	Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This edition contains the complete verse of the author of 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking -Glass.' It contains parodies on the sentimental verse of his day,and verbal inventions such as coin-words and portmanteau, two-words in one inventions( slithy = slim, and lithe). It builds a world of play in words all its own. Just looking at some of the wordplay I see how James Joyce must have ' understand well' what was going on here.
Many of the lines and characters of this work have become part of the ordinary vocabulary of the English language. The rule seems to be that in this internal rhyming world Carroll followed his own advice " Take care of the sounds and the sense will take care of itself"

Here is the first stanza of one of his most well- known examples, "Jabberwocky"

'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wave:
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome roths outgrabe"

But if the nonsense verse is not to the reader's taste there is of course much else more readily understandable 'woetry'
How many times in this life of ours do we for instance return to the insight given in the immortal ' Humpty Dumpty"

"All the kings horses and all the kings men, could not put Humpty Dumpty together again".

In this collection Carroll's work is, however, all together for what will most likely be the delight of the reader ready to ' twaste 'it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is verse you want to learn by heart!, January 21, 2000

By A Customer

I don't know why but you really want to learn this stuff by heart so you can recite it to yourself in odd moments. Some of it is incredibly witty and it bounds along in a very good rhythm. The poems are quite different from each other and reflect Lewis Carroll's many moods. He must have been a complex and interesting person, as well as an amusing one.