Edward Lear (1812–1888)
Author of The Owl and the Pussycat (Jan Brett)
About the Author
Edward Lear was born in Holloway, England, to Jeremiah (a stockbroker) and Ann Lear, tutored at home by his sister, and briefly attended the Royal Academy schools. Both an author and an illustrator, he earned his living as an artist from the age of 15, mainly by doing landscapes. What he is show more remembered for is his nonsense books, especially his popularization of the limerick. Along with Lewis Carroll, he is considered to be the founder of nonsense poetry. In addition to his limericks, he created longer nonsense poems. The best---and best known---is The Jumblies, in which the title characters go to sea in a sieve; it is a brilliant, profound, silly, and sad expression of the need to leave the security of the known world and experience the wonder and danger of the unknown. His other most notable work is The Owl and the Pussy Cat, a less complex poem whose title characters also go to sea. Lear produced humorous alphabets and botany books as well. His wordplay, involving puns, neologisms, portmanteau words, and anticlimax, retains its vitality today and has influenced such contemporary writers of children's nonsense verse as Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash, and Laura Richards (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Engraved by Andrew from a photograph taken in San Remo, by Roncarolo.
Works by Edward Lear
THERE WAS A YOUNG LADY WHOSE NOSE...AND OTHER NONSENSE RHYMES by Edward Lear edited by Alice Mills (1999 Hardcover 9 x… (1999) 12 copies
Nonsense songs and laughable lyrics 7 copies
Owl and the pussycat 7 copies
The history of the 7 families of the Lake Pipple-Popple, and The story of the 4 little children who went round the… (1968) 7 copies
Children's Classics Box Set: The Hare And The Tortoise And Other Fables/ There Was A Young Lady Whose Nose And… (1999) 7 copies
Letters of Edward Lear, author of the Book of Nonsense, to Chichester Fortescue (Lord Carlingford) and Frances Countess… (1907) 5 copies
Later letters of Edward Lear, author of "The book of nonsense" to Chichester Fortescue (lord Carlingford), Lady… (1911) 5 copies
Edward Lear in Greece;: A loan exhibition from the Gennadius Library, Athens. Circulated by the International… (1971) 5 copies
Edward Lear, the Corfu years: A chronicle presented through his letters and journals (Tenth publication in the… (1988) 5 copies
THE Nonsense Books: The Complete Collection of the Nonsense Books of Edward Lear (with Over 400 Original Illustrations) (2009) 5 copies
Nonsense books. By: Edward Lear, with all the original illustrations: (Children's Classics) (2017) 4 copies
The Walrus and the Carpenter and Other Nonsense Verse (Mini Classics) (Mini Classics) (1993) 4 copies
Lear in the original: drawings and limericks by Edward Lear from his Book of Nonsense : now first printed in facsimile,… (1975) 3 copies
The Complete Nonsense Book (Containing all the Original Pictures and Verses, together with New Material) (1921) 2 copies
Calico Pie 2 copies
Edward Lear in Southern Italy : journals of a landscape painter in southern Calabria and the Kingdom of Naples. (1964) 2 copies
Lear In Sicily. Line Drawings By... Illustrating A Tour Made In May-July 1847 In The Company Of John Joshua Proby...… (1938) 2 copies
Pro to, chego ne mozhet byt 2 copies
SEM CABEÇA NEM PÉ 1 copy
Nonsense Books 1888 1 copy
SEM CABEÇA E SEM PE 1 copy
Книга чепухи 1 copy
How pleasant to know Mr. Lear. For narrator and orchetra. [Score.] — Lyrics — 1 copy
Learicks 1 copy
Nonsense Drolleries 1 copy
Lear’s Book of Nonsense 1 copy
The Owland the Pussy - Cat 1 copy
O Livro dos Disparates 1 copy
Libro dei nonsense, Il 1 copy
LIMERICKS BY LEAR. 1 copy
Two Nonsense Stories. Story of the Four Little Children Who Went Round the World and the History of the Seven Families… (1990) 1 copy
Edward Lear's Indian Journal: Watercolours and Extracts from the Diary of Edward Lear (1873-1875) (1953) 1 copy
Uued rõivad : [luuletus] 1 copy
Lear Omnibus, The 1 copy
Lear Alphabet 1 copy
Limericks; verses 1 copy
Edward Lear's Birds 1 copy
De Uil en de Poes 1 copy
Edward Lear sketches of parrots relating to illustrations of the family of Psittacidae, or parrots 1 copy
Edward Lears kompletter Nonsens. Ins Deutsche geschmuggelt von Hans Magnus Enzensberger (1977) 1 copy
Edward Lear Limericks--Three Books in One: The Owl and the Pussy Cat, the Duck & the Kangaroo, and a Book of Nonsense (2010) 1 copy
Edward Lears Nonsense Book 1 copy
Minette et le hibou 1 copy
Complete Nonsense 1 copy
Edward Lears Kompletter Nonsens II. Zweite Lieferung. Lieder, Balladen und Geschichten. (1985) 1 copy
Kringle Krangles hat 1 copy
Favorite Funny Poems 1 copy
Associated Works
The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer Through Robert Frost (2004) — Contributor — 1,042 copies
Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists (2011) — Contributor — 206 copies
The Graphic Canon, Vol. 2: From "Kubla Khan" to the Bronte Sisters to The Picture of Dorian Gray (2012) — Contributor — 183 copies
The Children's Treasury: Best Loved Stories and Poems from Around the World (1987) — Contributor — 148 copies
The Sophisticated Cat: A Gathering of Stories, Poems, and Miscellaneous Writings About Cats (1992) — Contributor — 99 copies
The Graphic Canon of Children's Literature: The World's Greatest Kids' Lit as Comics and Visuals (2014) — Contributor — 90 copies
The Dedalus Book of British Fantasy: 19th Century (European Literary Fantasy Anthologies) (1991) — Contributor — 45 copies
Buzz Words: Poems About Insects (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series) (2021) — Contributor — 31 copies
Edward Lear (Holloway 1812-Sanremo 1888) — Photographer — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Lear, Edward
- Legal name
- Lear, Edward
- Birthdate
- 1812-05-12
- Date of death
- 1888-01-29
- Burial location
- Cimitero monumentale della foce, Sanremo, Italy
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Place of death
- San Remo, Italy
- Places of residence
- Rome, Italy
Corfu, Greece - Education
- Royal Academy Schools
- Occupations
- poet
painter
illustrator - Relationships
- Church, Charles (friend)
Tennyson, Alfred (friend)
Tennyson, Emily Sellwood Tennys (friend)
Ruskin, John (friend)
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 300
- Also by
- 50
- Members
- 9,612
- Popularity
- #2,494
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 209
- ISBNs
- 602
- Languages
- 19
- Favorited
- 13
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