Product Description
From the benighted Old Man with a Beard to the erudite Perpendicular Purple Polly, Edward Lear’s world is inhabited by a bewildering variety of oddities. One of the world’s most loved writers, Lear’s verse has delighted whole generations of readers. Here, after 140 years, is the original edition of A Book of Nonsense, from the original publishers. Complete with Lear’s own remarkable illustrations, this treasure trove of nonsense is guaranteed to hold readers spellbound for generations more!Amazon.com Review
“He reads but he cannot speak Spanish, / He cannot abide ginger-beer; / Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish, / How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!” writes the 19th-century English poet Edward Lear in “Self Portrait of the Laureate of Nonsense.” When The Book of Nonsense was first published in 1845, under Lear’s pseudonym, Derry Down Derry, it was a success–some say it turned the once stodgy, didactic world of children’s literature on its h… More >>
The Book of Nonsense
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This has to be the dumbest book I’ve read. It has riddles and rhymes that totally don’t make sense. I know I would rather read real poetry and literature, not this. I don’t even think that small kids would like this confusing book.
Rating: 1 / 5
I love love loved Edward Lear but unfortunately this free copy doesn’t have the marvelous drawings. It would be better to get another edition of this wonderful book, one that is illustrated.
Rating: 1 / 5
Stacy is wrong, anyone who has seen the spongebob epesode where he looks in other people’s dreams will remember Gary’s quoted poem “there once was a man from peru, who dreamed he was eating his shoe. The man awoke with a fright, in the middle of the night, to find that his dream had come true.” and wanted to find works like it (myself, for one) will love this book.
I’m writing this for people who, like myself, have no idea what this book is about untill you read it, because of some idiot’s belief that “this book has been formatted from it’s origenal version…” is some magic phrase that tells us what the book is about.
This book has dozens of hilarious short stories in miniture peom form. Here is an example of some of my favorites.
“There was an old man of Quebec– a beetle ran over his neck; But he cried “With a needle, I slay you O beadle!” That angry old man of Quebec.”
“There was an old man with a poker, who painted his face a red ochre. When they said “You’re a guy!”, he made no reply, But knocked them all down with his poker.”
and my favorite of them all, which any spongebob fan would love, “There was an old man of Peru, who watched his wife make stew; but once, by mistale, in a stove she did bake, that unfortunate man of Peru.”
Rating: 5 / 5
As a graduate student in history, I know that the Edward Lear original included hilarious illustrations that make this work even better and, therefore, the reading more enjoyable. The poems are fun but it would have been nice if it included the pictures.
Rating: 3 / 5
I loved reading these nonsense rhymes again after many years. Glad it was available again.
Rating: 5 / 5