The Complete Nonsense Books

This volume, which collects the four books of nonsense published by Lear during his lifetime, contains all of his most celebrated verse and prose productions. It includes everything from his first collection of limericks, A Book of Nonsense, to his Nonsense Songs and Stories—which features ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat,’ long considered one of the nation's favourite poems, as well as many lesser-known pieces composed in the same waywardly imaginative vein.

Embodying his passion for the absurd, Lear’s limericks, stories, alphabets, and botanical sketches are each accompanied by one of the author’s beguiling original illustrations. These works are fun, lyrical, lively, and hilarious, enchanting children and adults since their first appearance in print.