3.5*

It was fun to read between the rhymes, not just lines. Unfortunately, the more I read this utter nonsense book, the more I realise that I am really not into poetry books. While I found most of the first book (yep, Complete Nonsense is a bundle of Lear’s Nonsense books) amusing, I had to skip through the pages because things just seem too over the top here.

What a strange read. I will admit I skimmed most of it because the content is some of the oddest ramblings I have come across. Kind of like being inside the head of a writer/poet who is mentally unstable or having a nervous breakdown. Some of the hand drawings were creative though.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this little book. The pace and timing are classical, and I can definitely hear the influence in many nursery rhymes. Excellent illustrations in this version as well. A silly bit of 'nonsense' worth the time.

"How pleasant to know Mr.Lear,
Who was written such volumes of stuff,
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
But a few find him pleasant enough"

Count me in the grouping that finds him extremely pleasant!!!!

I'm OBSESSED. No genre of writing has won me over so quickly and completely as nonsense verse and overall nonsense lit. Edward Lear awakens childish joy in you, his works are so full of whimsy and play, while also including themes of loneliness and societal alienation.

One of my favourite poems for the longest time was "The Owl and the Pussycat", but I never took the time to research the author or read his other poems until a few months ago. Now the "Jumblies", and "The Dong with the Luminous Nose" are new favourites of mine too.
Nonsense is just so wonderful and beautiful.

I'm currently writing my final year college dissertation on it because I love it so much.

As Alice says in her Adventures in Wonderland; "If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense"

It's fun to see the range of forms that Lear's wonderful nonsense could take! There are even a couple of silly recipes here. The only part I disliked was the story of the seven families. Everything else was fun and nicely written.

A childhood is not really complete without some degree of nonsense poetry, for that matter adulthood would probably be quite void without also same said nonsense poetry.

Edward Lear, one of the more well known masters of nonsense, does not disappoint with his quaint collection of poems and stories with an equally bizarre collection of lovable drawings and doodles.

Limericks and nonsense abound. From well loved verse like the owl and the pussy cat to the Jumblies, Edward Lear will delight and amuse both young and old alike.

It is interesting to read one of the first books for children that was not a morality book. These books were meant purely for fun. Lear has a catchy sing-song rhythm in his writing that makes you want to read the verse out loud.

An interesting look at children's literature from 150 year ago.

This book is exactly as it's title announces -- nonsense. Edward Lear is known for his limericks and the poem, "The Owl and the Pussycat." He uses many made up, silly words, which would naturally delight a child. Except that many of these poems could not be read to a child today because of our society's sensitivity. Such as:
There was an Old Man of the East,
Who gave all his children a feast;
But they all eat so much, and their conduct was such
That it killed that Old Man of the East.

Lots of unpleasant endings for his limerick characters. But one can't read these without getting in the mood to try one's own hand at limericks.

Lear also produced many A,B,C illustrations which I thoroughly enjoyed.

All of this nonsense came with Lear's illustrations of odd-looking people, animals and objects.

This is not a book one picks up and reads like a novel -- but rather "tastes" when one wants a little nonsense in one's life.

หลังจากเราบังเอิญได้่อ่าน The owl and the pussy cat แล้วเราก็ไม่สามารถ move on จากกลอน limerick ของ Edward Lear ได้ จึงตามหาหนังสือเล่มนี้มาอ่าน
The Nonsense books เล่มนี้ เราซื้อมาจาก amazon (อันที่จริงมีแบบ public domain ที่สามารถเปิดให้อ่านฟรีได้ แต่ด้วยความที่พอโหลดมาแล้วบางหน้าแสดงบนไม่ค่อยดีบน kindle เราจึงเสาะหาจนเจอเล่มนี้ที่รูปแบบอ่านง่ายและราคาไม่แพง)

The complete collection เป็นการรวมเอาหนังสือ 4 เล่มเข้าด้วยกัน หลัก ๆ จะประกอบด้วยกลอน limerick ประกอบภาพวาด ซึ่งบอกเลยว่าเสน่ห์ของเล่มอยู่ตรงนี้
สำหรับเราคิดว่ามันไม่เชิงเหมาะกับเด็ก หากแต่เหมาะกับผู้ใหญ่ที่มีอารมณ์ขันสักหน่อยอ่านให้เด็กเล็ก ๆ ฟัง จะเพลินและสนุกดี

I’m looking for absurd, pointless and meaningless, and thought I’d go back to the source. Edward Lear literally wrote the book on nonsense and this collection of the four volumes of Nonsense Books he authored were for a long time a sign of hope on my shelf. They’re children’s books, which is no slight, though that softens the edges that I’ve come to associate with the surreal. These are good wholesome songs, poems, lists and stories that make enough sense to follow, even if you’re tracking a familiar beast with a silly name. By all accounts, Lear, a landscape artist, was a good fellow, not sarcastic or cynical. I liked the books, I just couldn’t relate.