A Book of Nonsense

By Edward Lear

The owls, hen, larks, and their nests in his beard, are among the fey fauna and peculiar persons inhabiting the uniquely inspired nonsense rhymes and drawings of Lear (20th child of a London stockbroker), whose Book of Nonsense, first published in 1846, stands alone as the ultimate and most loved expression in English of freewheeling, benign, and unconstricted merriment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9780375712791

Reviews for A Book of Nonsense

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lear's limericks are fun and silly, with some of that absurd humor I might also find in Dr. Seuss or Carroll's poetry. He makes up foolish words to suit his odd characters, who range from regular people who perform peculiar actions to bizarre figures who might be doing the mundane or the odd. A young woman has a chin so sharp she plays the harp, and a different fellow has a head so tiny that he purchases an immense wig to enlarge it. The edition I bought as an ebook had no illustrations. I had never read his poetry before, only seen references to it in other books, but even so, I knew something was missing. Fortunately, I easily found his limericks online with the accompanying pictures. (Now why did I buy that ebook?) The pictures are black-and-white sketches, as lugubrious and ridiculous as the poetry. I had an amusing hour as I read this book. Limericks aren't my favorite style, but I've never spent more than a passing moment with them, so it was interesting to read an entire collection of them. From what I gather, Lear is one of the better known limerick writers. He managed to instill his own style into a poetic form that has very set rules. The humor is mostly silly, but can be gruesome, with people dying and being cruel to others. I felt like it was an early form of black humor. I like trying new things, and don't regret spending time with this book, although I probably won't be seeking out other limericks in the near future.

[pokarekareana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As expected, it reminded me of the nonsense verse I used to love as a child. I have no great interest in poetry, but something in this kind of funny, nonsensical turn of phrase intrigues me. A very quick read for a wet morning when you need the literary equivalent of a tickle!

[the7ken7petersen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This probably seemed incredibly witty when it was written but, I actually found this tedious. It is one 'joke' repeated ad nauseam: There was an old man of... Poor. if early limericks.

[tortoisebook · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the free Kindle edition and it is missing all the illustrations which are surely integral to the book. The limericks themselves are old-fashioned but they are the originals of their type and so worth reading for that alone. They were indeed nonsense but they didn't make me laugh. The style of these limericks is somewhat grating with the last words of the first and fourth lines being identical rather than simply rhyming, which would have sounded so much more lyrical. Easy read though - I read the whole thing over a cup of coffee.

[aulsmith · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I prefer limericks with more word play and less pure nonsense.

[kaulsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't think any parent (or grandparent) would purchase this book were it to be written and published today. More than half of the subjects are killed off, and most by incredibly nasty means. Even considering British pronunciation, the rhyming schemes are stretched beyond belief.So why did I give it four stars, you may well ask. 1. These children's nonsense rhymes are part of our cultural heritage--at least those of us from an English-speaking background.2. Lear exposes children to an incredibly rich vocabulary. In a time when so much is "dumbed down" for our children, it is a pleasure to find that such words as:incongruousimprudentintrinsicglobularfutilecapriciousinvidiousto name but a few, are at the very least, being exposed to their ear. And then there are some words, which at the least should provoke a fun discussion as to their meaning (as in "ombliferous"), and teach our children that language isn't static , but is a living entity.If you haven't been exposed to the Guttenberg Project, please check it out. Free digitized copies of books in the public domain. What a treasure!

[thornton37814 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

When I was a child, I enjoyed Lear, but I read only a poem or two at a time. This book was "way too much of a good thing." If I ever read another "There was an old man from" or "There was an old person from" poem again, it will be too soon. He had several alphabets. Many used the same thing for the letters. For example, all used "Xerxes" for the letter "X." Why not a xylophone? In addition to poems and alphabets, Lear included some nonsensical biological drawings and a couple short stories. "The Owl and the Pussycat" is probably Lear's best-known work, and there's a reason for that. It's his best. Lear is best consumed in small doses, and this volume gives one entirely too much nonsense.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Many of the Limericks are fun, notably those featuring Birds,but this is not a book for kids or sensitive adults = too much violence, Killing, death, and animal cruelty.