There Once Was a Limerick Anthology: Lewis Carroll, Robert Frost, Edward Lear, Mark Twain, Carolyn Wells, Woodrow Wilson and Others

by Michael Croland (Editor)

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

 

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2022

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

There Once Was a Limerick Anthology is an educational and useful ode to the perennial humble limerick curated by Michael Croland. Due out 17th Aug 2022 from Dover, it's 96 pages and will be available in paperback format as part of Dover's Thrift Editions.

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.

The entries are arranged thematically in chapters: Edward Lear, geographical limericks, names, quotations, misspellings, abbreviations, tongue twisters, limericks by famous figures, bawdy limericks (and some of them are *quite* naughty), and miscellany. The editors have included an abbreviated bibliography for further reading. Although this collection focuses on the poets of yesteryear, the editors have included an short afterword with a cleverly constructed modern limerick and a few pithy observations about the future of the form.

Four stars. Due to the explicit nature of the bawdy limericks, it might not be appropriate for school library acquisition. It would be a good choice for public or home library acquisition.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Lanette Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

There once were some limericks in a book
that made you laugh when you had a look;
sharing rhymes through the ages
with limericks on all the pages,
'Twas quite a catalog the author undertook!

This little book is exactly what it says it is: a book full of limericks through the ages. The collection includes a little history lesson about how the form developed and who helped make it famous -- and plenty of laughs, as this form is meant to be funny. I enjoyed it, and anyone who likes this form will have fun with it.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm the first to review it. Really should do it in the form of a limerick.Maybe later.
I enjoy a good limerick. Might even find an average one amusing. It’s a fun form and it’s been around for quite a while and many people (some surprising individuals) have taken it for a spin.
This adorable slim collection does its best to introduce the reader to the classic of the genre, cleaned up (tragically so) for the modern PC-driven audiences.
The book explains over and over again how it made every effort to avoid the bawdiness limericks are often known for and present only the most inoffensive ones in existence.
Organized in handy categories, they are still fun. Though frustratingly enough, I never remember a single one afterward.
A cute, fun, overcurrated read - a classic format for the modern age. Thanks Netgalley.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book gathers a diverse collection of about 350 limericks. [Limericks are a five-line poetic form with an aabba rhyme scheme and short -b lines, and are often humorous – or, at least, punny, quirky, or absurd. The form often uses forced rhymes or contorted language as part of the humor, leaning into the genre’s lowbrow image.] For those who’ve read Edward Lear and may be concerned that these limericks will, like much of Lear’s work, lack punch and humor to the modern ear, that’s not the case. The selected limericks include many clever and witty examples that land as well today as ever. [Lest it sound like I’m dissing Lear, I agree with Langford Reed’s limerick included in this edition – i.e. “We should never forget // That we owe him a debt”]

The limericks are grouped by a classification scheme. The book starts with the most common categories -- those that feature locations or proper names in the lead line. It has a few chapters that play with language, twisting it about through misspellings or plays on abbreviations. There’s a chapter that is all tongue twisters. Two of the more popular chapters are toward the end. One is a collection of limericks written by famous writers and personalities, such as: Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Robert Frost. The other features ribald limericks. For many, ribald and risqué is what comes to mind when one thinks of limericks – e.g. “There once was a young man from Nantucket.” This book aims for a general audience, and – therefore – avoids the edgiest of material, but it’s good that they realized they couldn’t dodge bawdy and raunchy material altogether, and still claim to be an overview of the form.

I enjoyed reading this collection tremendously. With so much public domain content, I thought there might be a lot of limericks that wouldn’t land, but – on the contrary – 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.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not only fun but educational. It talks about the different types of limericks where they originated and the people who made them famous. I didn’t know that Humpty Dumpty was a version of a limerick that’s just one of the fun things you learn in this book. From songs to children’s books they’re everywhere and in “ there once was a limerick anthology“ you get to read not only where they came from but well-known names that authored them and more. It also has pages and pages of great limericks that will make you laugh. I like the funny ones the best but they all are so entertaining this is the type of stuff I absolutely love to read and I’m so glad I did! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

There Once Was a Limerick Anthology from Dover Publications is a nice collection of limericks that highlights how such a simple form can be so much fun.

If you're looking for the truly "dirty" limericks you find them here, but then they aren't hard to find if that is really all you want. There is a section for bawdy, which include some that even today will likely make some people blush (or complain, but those don't really matter).

I found I needed to take this in chunks. While it is a short read if you want to zip through it, I enjoyed taking my time and often saying them out loud, finding the right flow and emphasis. A few didn't quite roll off my lips, so I had to figure out how to make it work. In other words, this can be a lot of fun if you want it to be. Just beware, you'll find yourself thinking or trying to read other things with a distinctive limerick rhythm.

Recommended for those who like limericks as well as those who like to have a variety of resources in their library but might not think they want to devote a great deal of space to limericks.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is mostly fun and entertaining. I didn't laugh out loud but it is a nice collection of humor. As usual, some are better than others.

Thanks very much for the free review copy for review!!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I largely enjoyed this book. The background information on the form is great. The limericks are very clever and some very funny. Some had me nodding my head. My favorites were the “Tongue Twisters”, while many in the sections “Creative Misspellings” and “Creative Abbreviations” were difficult for me to parse and I was not able to appreciate those. Thank you to Netgalley and Dover Publications for the digital review copy.

[Elaysee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The limericks are organized by theme, starting with historical limericks including some proto-limericks. Once I got past that section, the next few were probably the least interesting/most same-y. Around the middle of the collection, the themes really lean into the form, and I enjoyed those much more.

[Courtney (courtneyandherbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these. Particularly the creative misspellings and abbreviations