Edward Lear

There was an Old Man of Tobago Lived long on rice, gruel and sago But at last, to his bliss The physician said this To a roast leg of mutton you may go. This original limerick inspired Lear to create more than one hundred in his First Book of Nonsense. Written to amuse the children of his patron, the Earl of Derby, the book far exceeded the author's expectations - reaching 19 printings in his lifetime, becoming top in the Pall Mall Gazette's 'List of the Best Hundred Authors' (chosen by John Ruskin), and going on to amuse children and adults up to the present day. Yet, as Vivien Noakes reveals, there was much more to Lear than his acclaimed limericks and cartoons. The youngest but one of 21 children, Lear had a constant struggle against ill-health, loneliness and depression throughout his life. An innovator in art and literature, he was born both out of time and out of place, finding the narrowness and provincialism of life in England stultifying and travelling constantly in order to find a climate and a culture that suited him. The story of Lear's life is both deeply poignant and hugely uplifting. This new edition of Vivian Noakes's highly acclaimed biography is completely revised