There Was an Old Man ...: A Collection of Limericks

Elizabeth St Jacques is the author of Echoes All Strung Out and
Survivors: The Great Depression, 1929-1939.

Although Edward Lear earned his living as a zoological illustrator and
landscape painter, his nonsensical limericks—written just for fun and
for children—carved a niche for him in literary history as “Poet
Laureate of the Limerick.”

This first Canadian edition presents 53 of Lear’s wacky limericks
that will have readers giggling with glee. And because themes are from a
past era, readers will enjoy trying to imagine how life must have been
in those days when men wore wigs and great wide hats, women had
elaborate hairstyles, and folks dreamed of getting a closer look at the
moon. Most of all, this collection is a relaxing, fun read. A couple of
favorites: “There was an Old Man with a beard / Who said, ‘It’s
just as I feared! / Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren, / Have
all built their nests in my beard!”; “There was an Old Person of
Brigg, / Who purchased no end of a wig; / So that only his nose and the
end of his toes / Could be seen when he walked about Brigg.”

Not that every limerick here is hilarious. In fact, some are a bit
bland, such as “There was an Old Man of Dunluce, / Who went out to sea
on a goose. / When he’d gone out a mile, he observ’d with a smile, /
’It is time to return to Dunluce.” But what works magic for this
entire collection is Michиle Lemieux’s splendid artwork. Thanks to
her uniquely zany vision, even a colorless ho-hum poem explodes like
Chinese fireworks.

An aside: those familiar with North American limericks will expect to
see five-line poems. Lear, however, combined lines three and four for a
four-line limerick, which seems to be far more effective.

All in all, this attractive collection is a riot of a read for young
and old. Highly recommended.