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Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888 / London / England)
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Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he popularised.
Biography
Lear was born into a middle-class family in the village of Holloway, the 21st child of Ann and Jeremiah Lear. He was raised by his eldest sister, also named Ann, 21 years his senior. Ann doted on Lear and continued to mother him until her death, when Lear was almost 50 years of age. Due to the family's failing financial fortune, at age four he and his sister had to leave the family home and set up house together.
Lear suffered from health problems. ... more »
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Popular Poems
- Alphabet Poem
- Calicoe Pie
- Cold are the Crabs
- He Lived at Dingle Bank
- How pleasant to know Mr. Lear
- Imitation of The Olden Poets
- Incidents in the life of my Uncle Arly
- Limerick: The was a Young Lady of Bute
- Limerick: There was a Young Lady in Whit...
- Limerick: There was a Young Lady of Dork...
- Limerick: There was a Young Lady of Hull
- Limerick: There was a Young Lady of Norw...
- Limerick: There was a Young Lady of Pool...
- Limerick: There was a Young Lady of Port...
Quotations
more quotations »-
Calico Pie,
Edward Lear (1812-1888), British poet. Calico Pie (l. 1-6). . . Faber Book of Children's Verse, The. Janet Adam Smith, comp. (1953; paperback 1963...
The little Birds fly
Down to the calico tree,
Their wings were blue,
And they sang "Tilly-loo!"
Till away they flew—
And they never came back...
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''\'How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!'
Edward Lear (1812-1888), British poet. How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear (l. 1-4). . . New Oxford Book of English Verse, The, 1250-1950. Helen Gardner...
Who has written such volumes of stuff!
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
But a few think him pleasant enough.''
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''Who, or why, or which, or what,
Edward Lear (1812-1888), British poet. The Ahkond of Swat (l. 1-2). . . Faber Book of Nonsense Verse, The. Geoffrey Grigson, ed. (1979) Faber and ...
Is the Ahkond of Swat?''
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On the Coast of Coromandel
Edward Lear (1812-1888), British poet. The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo (l. 1-8). . . Oxford Anthology of English Literature, The, Vols. I-II...
Where the early pumpkins blow,
In the middle of the woods
Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
Two old chairs, and half a candle,—
One old jug...
Where is The Owl and the pussycat? .
When I was in junior school I did not attend assemblies with the other children because of my religion. During the time that the others were singing hymns I was allowed to read my teachers precious copy of Edward Lear poems. This introduced me to the wonderful world of poetry and verse and of course reading. I found Mr. Lear's poems funny and endearing and full of visual delight.