Books with author Edward Lear

Edward Lear (1812 - 1888) was an English writer of nonsense, the most famous piece of which is The Owl and the Pussycat. He is also credited with popularizing the limerick, though there was some speculation as to whether his patron, the Earl of Derby, simply used Lear as a pseudonym for his own writings. Lear was also a successful illustrator and even spent some time tutoring Queen Victoria in drawing before his improper behaviour had him thrown out of court.

Discover the world of Edward Lear, where everything is out of the ordinaryFar and few, far and few,Are the lands where the Jumblies live;Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,And they went to sea in a Sieve.Known as the father of the nonsense poem, Edward Lear is greatly to thank for the form’s popularity. Gently mocking the ridiculousness of human behavior and Victorian convention, Lear’s deliciously silly verse has delighted children and adults for generations. Here, an owl can marry a cat, a duck and a kangaroo can travel the world together, and a whole chorus and birds and beasts can happily make their homes upon a quangle wangle's hat. This complete collection features some of the UK’s favorite classics, including "The Owl and the Pussy Cat," "The Quangle-Wangle’s Hat," and "The Jumblies." Wonderfully complemented by Lear’s own illustrations, this is the perfect gift edition.

"The Owl and the Pussycat" features four animals - an owl, a cat, a pig, and a turkey - and tells the story of the love between the title characters who marry in the land "where the Bong-tree grows". The Owl and the Pussycat set out to sea in a pea green boat with honey and "plenty of money" wrapped in a five pound note. The Owl serenades the Pussycat while gazing at the stars and strumming on a small guitar. He describes her as beautiful. The Pussycat responds by describing the Owl as an "elegant fowl" and compliments him on his singing. She urges they marry but they don't have a ring. They sail away for a year and a day to a land where Bong trees grow and discover a pig with a ring in his nose in a wood. They buy the ring for a shilling and are married the next day by a turkey. They dine on mince and quince using a "runcible spoon", then dance hand-in-hand on the sand in the moonlight.

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Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an English artist, illustrator and writer known for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form which he popularised. At the age of 19 his first Illustrated work Family of Psittacidae; or, Parrots was published in 1830. His paintings were well received and he was favourably compared with Audubon. In 1846 Lear published A Book of Nonsense, a volume of limericks which went through three editions and helped popularise the form. In 1865 The History of the Seven Families of the Lake Pipple-Popple was published, and in 1867 his most famous piece of nonsense, The Owl and the Pussycat, which he wrote for the children of his patron Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Many other works followed. His nonsense works are distinguished by a facility of verbal invention and a poet's delight in the sounds of words, both real and imaginary.

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