The Fifth Line

Edward Lear is known for his limericks. But in his famous Book of Nonsense, he never actually included the most important part of a limerick.

Lear completely ignored the fifth line which, in a limerick, is the ending that adds a twist to the story and makes us chuckle. His poems end in an anti-climax.

The Fifth Line revisits every verse in A Book of Nonsense, restoring to each the proper form and function of a limerick.

They're all here, from An Old Man With a Nose to A Young Lady Whose Bonnet, and everything in between. All of Lear's verses, and a brand new limerick to go with each.

If you've ever longed for the Old Man of Cape Horn to cheer up, or to rescue the Person of Cromer from his sudden and unexplained conclusion, or to silence that annoying Old Man with a Bell, then this is the book you've been waiting for.

Book illustrator: Rory Walker

ebook (mobi): 9780648905929

paperback: 9780648905905