The Book of Nonsense

"'How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!'
-Who has written such volumes of stuff!
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
-But a few think him pleasant enough."
-Edward Lear (1887)
The Book of Nonsense (1887) by Edward Lear is a collection of 109 limericks that are considered among the immortal classics of English literature. These nonsense rhymes which were both written and illustrated by Edward Lear are uniquely inspired by whimsical creatures-both human and animal-and are as quirky and fun as they are rich in character. Although often classified as children's literature, they are universally enjoyed by adults as well.

EDWARD LEAR (1812-1888), was a British writer and artist, who created landscape paintings, nonsense verse, and the illustration of birds and reptiles. He was Queen Victoria's private drawing master and given a place in the Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. As a naturalist painter, his work is often compared to the bird paintings of Gould and Audubon, who both worked with Lear. As a writer, Lear's humorous alphabets and wordplay influenced such twentieth-century writers as Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash, and Laura Richards.