The Complete Nonsense Books of Edward Lear (Library of Essential Reading) »

Edward Lear (1812–1888) was a naturalist, artist, and world traveler whose voluminous letters and journals are filled with comic sketches, made-up words, and general silliness that spilled into the genre he made famous.  Born May 12, 1812, the same year as Charles Dickens and Robert Browning, Edward Lear was the twentieth of the twenty-one children of stockbroker Jeremiah Lear and Ann Skerrett.

This comprehensive volume includes all of Edward Lear's best-loved works from Queery Leary Nonsense and The Book of Nonsense to Nonsense Songs and Stories, Laughable Lyrics, and Nonsense Alphabets. Find out why the Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly believe "the world has all gone wrong." Take a journey in a "pea-green boat" with the Owl and the Pussy-Cat. Travel to where the Jumblies live and explore the history of the seven families of the Lake Pipple Popple. Lear's rhymes have brought smiles to generations of children, but his nonsense also offers adults a satirical commentary on human nature that continues to be thought-provoking and relevant today.