Edward Lear began his career as an ornithological illustrator, becoming one of the first major artists to draw birds from living models. During this period he w

'Nonsense is the breath of my nostrils', wrote Edward Lear (1812-88), and this collection demonstrates the wonderfully varied ways in which he pursued his philo

'Nonsense', wrote Mervyn Peake, 'can take you by the hand and lead you nowhere. It's magic.' Peake (1911-68) is one of the great English nonsense poets, in the

Edward Lear's much celebrated book of nonsense is here reproduced with all the original pictures and verse and two autobiographical letters by the author. Child