The Finest Nonsense of Edward Lear

By: Edward Lear

Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi

Nearly 150 years since his poetry was first published, Lear's nonsense rhymes are still popular today. In this lively and colorful audiobook recording, Derek Jacobi reads Lear's most famous poems and most fantastic creations, including "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", "The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly", "The Jumblies", "The Dong with the Luminous Nose", and a collection of assorted limericks. Lear's poems gave the clear message that it's interesting, funny, and okay to be different, and that message is just as relevant now as it was in Lear's own day.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2015 Naxos AudioBooks

Classics delightfully read by a legend

Sir Derek Jacobi is such a delight reading these classic "nonsense" stories. Don't try to look for deep lessons or profound meaning in these. Sometimes simple fun is just simple fun, and they don't require any specific cultural background to understand them. They've endured centuries for a reason. If you analyze or try to make serious sense of them...well, you won't see the forest for the trees, as it were. Just listen and enjoy some creative imagery and chuckles for an hour and a quarter, and leave overactive judgement at the door.

Nonsense

I didn't get it, but maybe got need to be British?

This is a book of poems that just strings together gibberish. It wasn't clever, and my children and I didn't enjoy it. It's like the author is attempting to be whimsical by being irrational and unpredictable, but not in a way that is artistic.... It's just random words and phrases that don't go together.