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The complete nonsense of Edward Lear
It was the works of Edward Lear that popularized the term limerick, and since these illustrations and stories were originally created by Edward Lear about one hundred years ago, you will need to take this into consideration when reading this book. It is quaint, but entertaining in its way, though don't expect to understand its message completely. It is nonsense after all. I am glad to have it and find it inspirational when considering certain artistic projects. It is fun, but dumb and that is the intention I believe. Very Kooky and certainly wacky, it rolls on and on. Try it, you will feel saner and more rational after sampling its pages.
The complete nonsense of Edward Lear
I bought this book as a recommended language arts supplement for my first grader. He really enjoys the nonsense stories and limericks... He might enjoy it more if he lived in nineteenth century England - some of the language is archaic and the rhymes dont always work, and the cultural context is missing. These dont seem to diminish from his enjoyment of them however.My only warning (other then archaic spelling and situations) is that the modern zeitgeist is so different that some of the limericks might seem a little off color in todays sensitive politically correct world. An example is a limerick which starts out "There was an old man from Jamaica, Who suddenly married a Quaker"...Overall though my boy enjoyed the stories and limericks read to him, and that enthusiasm for the printed word is whats most important at his age.My only complaint about the book itself is that it is printed on thin paper, and the ink has that slightly bloated look to it. Maybe find a nicer edition if you like crisply printed words
The complete nonsense of Edward Lear
Edward Lear is a name you may not recall;but who hasn't heard of the rhyme "The Owl And The Pussy-Cat"?He was a man of many talents;a painter,a writer,a poet,a world traveller;and a man who mixed with the rich famous and the establishment of his time.His output was immense,but the one thing that he was never able to do is to become prosperous from it all;in fact he was quite poor,never knew where the money would come from to pay his rent or even to buy his food and clothes.Although he was very talented in the arts,even painted for the famous John Gould;it was from his somewhat childish sketches,verses and limericks that resulted in his work that we remember him today.In fact,of all those who ever put pen to paper and created limericks;Edward Lear has no peer.This edition has a special feature in that it includes an Introduction of 20 pages by Holbrook Jackson who calls Lear "The Laureate Of Nonsense.If you have not heard of Jackson,you really should look into some of his work.He is one of the best known writers when it comes to the "world of books".He wrote "The Anatomy of Bibliomania" in 1950 and it is a classic.It is therefore not surprising that his Introduction to Edward Lear's most famous book is excellent.As whimsical as his verse is,the sketches that he drew to accompany them are just as whimsical.Just in case you've never come across Lear and his "Nonsense";here are a couple of examples.I'll have to leave the sketches that accompany them to your imagination."There once was an old man,who when littleFell casually into a kettle;But,growing too stout,He could never get out,So he passed all his life in that kettle.""The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to seaIn a beautiful pea-green boat,They took some honey,and plenty of money,Wrapped up in a five-pound note.The Owl looked up to the stars above,And sang to a small guitar,'O lovely Pussy!O Pussy,my love,What a beautifulPussy you are,You are,You are!What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Furniture Marketing: From Product Development to Distribution
I was satisfied with my purchase and happy that the condition of the book was really good.i got what i wanted ...
Psychic Phenomena: The Amazing Power of the Mind: The Facts, the Fakes & the Totally Bizarre (Unexplained)
This book examines the existance of ghosts around the world. Pretty concrete evidence here but open to speculation.
The scattered nation,
Zebulon B. Vance is probably North Carolina's greatest political hero. A United State Senator who reluctantly served his state as governor during the Civil War, Vance spent the latter portion of his life serving his state in the national legislature, defending the Confederate cause, and stumping the nation delivering speeches. Today this latter activity would be viewed as the act of a desperate and egotistical man. In the late-nineteenth century, however, listening to a speech was a form of entertainment, much like going to a movie today, and nothing could pack a crowd like an eloquent orator matched with a fascinating topic. Vance too would discuss many of the more common subjects of his day, but one of the most popular among them was a rather unorthodox theme - the history and plight of the Jewish people.So what does the speech contain? Within the course of sixty pages, Vance manages to cover the entire course of Jewish history (from antiquity to what was for him the present), praise the Jewish people for their role in developing foundations of Western civilization such as the Christian religion and democratic government, make impassioned pleas in favor of religious equality and love, and decry what he saw as a dangerously unacknowledged and/or accepted undercurrent of American anti-Semitism. When done in the captivating style of a Southern stemwinder, the speech emerges as a remarkably compassionate, insightful, and meticulously well-informed read, one that makes a reader long to have heard the speech delivered in Vance's own voice.All of these things make "The Scattered Nation" worthy of five stars. One must be deducted, however, for a single passage in the speech itself, in which Vance decides to further advance Jewish fortunes by making an observation at their racial and intellectual superiority to the one race an overwhelming majority of Southerners couldn't bring themselves to accept - African-Americans. Just as some Northern anti-Semites, like Ulysses S. Grant (http://observer.bard.edu/articles/opinions/173), failed to see the inconsistency between championing African-American rights and persecuting Jews, so too did a Southerner like Vance fail to understand how the very principles he so nobly and eloquently espoused toward the Jewish race were being flagrantly violated when he threw in a reference - however slight - to the inferiority of another group of human beings. With just a little more insight, Vance could have written a practically perfect speech; as it is, the speech retains most of its greatness, but also has a sad little reminder of the tragic limitations of human perspective.