There Once Was a Limerick Anthology

Humor buffs and poetry lovers will laugh out loud with this captivating collection of more than 350 limericks. A limerick is a five-line rhyming poem with a bouncy rhythm, and common varieties include geographical and bawdy limericks as well as tongue twisters and creative misspellings. Limerick legends Morris Bishop, Edward Lear, and Carolyn Wells are featured, as are renowned political figures, poets, and writers such as Lewis Carroll, Robert Frost, James Joyce, Mark Twain, and Woodrow Wilson. With selections from the Elizabethan era, classics from the golden age, and contemporary verse, this irresistible, rib-tickling anthology has something for everyone.

"The selected limericks include many clever and witty examples. . . . I enjoyed reading this collection tremendously. . . . Most were clever and fun. If you’re a fan of the form, this book is definitely worth reading. And it’s part of the Dover Thrift Edition collection, so no doubt you can pick it up for a song." — The Introverted Yogi

"An educational and useful ode to the perennial humble limerick. . . . This is not just a great anthology of limericks by famous poets. It's also a well written introduction and deconstruction of the form; explaining the form and function of the stanzas, each line, and some background history. I have been a lifelong lover of the lowly limerick and enjoyed this collection very much." — Nonstop Reader

"Who the heck needs an anthology of limericks anyway? Countless millions have been written since Hickory Dickory appeared in 1744, swiftly followed by his siblings the various Old Men and Young Women of every town in the land. So THE anthology would likely require a fork lift truck to place it upon our bedside tables. But wait! 'Anthology' to the Greeks meant a collection of flowers ... and in this slim volume, 'tis only the sweetest of blooms that have been cut and arranged for our pleasure." — Doug Harris, the world's leading collector of limerick books