Edward Lear’s Complete Nonsense — Folio Society 1996
$41.00
📖 Edward Lear’s Complete Nonsense by Edward Lear (1812–1888), Folio Society 1996 — a comprehensive collection of all Lear’s nonsense works, from his first limericks through his final poems, with Lear’s own illustrations hand-coloured for this edition. This fourth printing (1999) is in Near Fine condition with a Very Good+ slipcase.
QUICK FACTS
- Author: Edward Lear (1812–1888), English artist, illustrator, and poet
- Publisher: The Folio Society, London
- Year: 1996 (Fourth Printing 1999)
- Format: Hardcover in decorative slipcase
- Pages: 286 | ISBN: None listed (Folio Society edition)
- Condition: Near Fine / Very Good+ — full report below
THE STORY
Edward Lear first published A Book of Nonsense in 1846, a slim volume of illustrated limericks that essentially invented a literary form. Over the next five decades he expanded his body of work through four additional collections — Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets (1871), More Nonsense (1872), Laughable Lyrics (1877), and Nonsense Songs and Stories (1895). Together these works include some of the most recognizable poems in the English language, including “The Owl and the Pussy-cat,” “Calico Pie,” and “The Pobble Who Has No Toes.”
THIS EDITION
This Folio Society edition is the first to collect all five of Lear’s nonsense books in a single volume. An introduction by Quentin Blake — the beloved illustrator known for his work with Roald Dahl — provides context for Lear’s enduring appeal. The book was printed by Butler & Tanner Ltd in Frome on Balmoral Wove paper, typeset in Bulmer with Horndon display, and bound in full decorative printed cloth designed by Richard Beards, who also hand-coloured all of Lear’s illustrations exclusively for this edition.
COVER ART & DESIGN
The binding is a vibrant yellow cloth covered in a dense, playful pattern of stylized letters and numbers in reddish-brown, teal, and yellow-orange — evoking Lear’s playful relationship with language. The matching slipcase features a theatrical curtain illustration in deep red and teal, pulled back to reveal the letter pattern beneath, as if presenting nonsense itself as a performance. Both book and slipcase are in excellent condition with sharp corners and bright colors.
WHY IT MATTERS
- Lear essentially invented the modern limerick and popularized literary nonsense as a genre — this volume contains his complete output in one place
- Richard Beards’s hand-colouring was done exclusively for this Folio Society edition, making these illustrations unique to this printing
- Quentin Blake’s introduction connects Lear’s Victorian nonsense to the broader tradition of British humor illustration
- The Folio Society’s production standards — Balmoral Wove paper, Bulmer typeface, full cloth binding with slipcase — place this well above standard reprints
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What edition is this? Fourth printing (1999) of the 1996 Folio Society first edition — the first time all five of Lear’s nonsense collections appeared in a single volume.
What condition is it in? Near Fine book with a Very Good+ slipcase — full condition report below.
Are the illustrations by Edward Lear? Yes — all illustrations are Lear’s original black and white drawings, hand-coloured for this edition by Richard Beards. Quentin Blake wrote the introduction but did not contribute illustrations.
FOR COLLECTORS
The Folio Society’s Complete Nonsense occupies a specific niche: it is the most comprehensive single-volume Lear collection in a fine press format, and the hand-coloured illustrations by Beards give it a visual distinctiveness absent from standard Dover or Dover Thrift reprints. The decorative yellow cloth binding and matching slipcase make it an attractive display piece as well as a readable reference edition.
CONDITION REPORT
Overall Grade: Book: Near Fine (NF) / Slipcase: Very Good+ (VG+)
Cover & Spine: Bright yellow cloth binding with bold decorative patterns across covers and spine. Spine might be just a tad sunned. Board corners are sharp.
Dust Jacket: N/A (Issued without a dust jacket. Includes original decorative slipcase with a minimal amount of surface wear in a few places).
Text Block & Pages: Clean off-white pages with vibrant hand-colored illustrations throughout. No internal writing or foxing.
Binding: Square, tight, and firm throughout.
See accompanying images for full condition details.
Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.
HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-08-06
1 in stock
Additional information
| Weight | 32 oz |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 11 × 9 × 3 in |
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First edition This is a complete volume as issued by the publisher with no loose, torn or folded pages, unless otherwise noted below . Binding is tight unless noted. There may be an original owner inscription or book plate in the front of the book, but otherwise there will be no other marks unless called out in the "Condition Specifics" section of this listing. If pictured with a jacket, the book will come in it's original matching dust wrapper as issued by the publisher. Jacket may be price clipped on the front flap, but unless other wise noted, will be complete. Unless noted, all jackets are shipped to your protected in an archival removable sleeve for preservation and presentation. Condition Specifics: (Points marked with an "[x]" are present in this copy.) [x]One or more board corner(s) are bumped [x]Spine head and/or tail are bumped []Foxing present on text block and/or internally []Tanning/sunning is present on boards and/or spine []Some spotting/thumbing/wear on one or more text block edge []Some marginal/textual annotations/marks in text [x]Jacket shows some losses [x]Jacket was edgewear in places with some chipping []Dust jacket is not present []Front and/or back hinge is cracked [x]Other: Jacket show considerable wear, although not price clipped, with significant chipping along top edge and large loss at the spine. Please see accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.
Dylan Thomas “The Doctor and the Devils” – 1953 First Edition Hardcover
First edition This is a complete volume as issued by the publisher with no loose, torn or folded pages, unless otherwise noted below . Binding is tight unless noted. There may be an original owner inscription or book plate in the front of the book, but otherwise there will be no other marks unless called out in the "Condition Specifics" section of this listing. If pictured with a jacket, the book will come in it's original matching dust wrapper as issued by the publisher. Jacket may be price clipped on the front flap, but unless other wise noted, will be complete. Unless noted, all jackets are shipped to your protected in an archival removable sleeve for preservation and presentation. Condition Specifics: (Points marked with an "[x]" are present in this copy.) [x]One or more board corner(s) are bumped [x]Spine head and/or tail are bumped []Foxing present on text block and/or internally []Tanning/sunning is present on boards and/or spine []Some spotting/thumbing/wear on one or more text block edge []Some marginal/textual annotations/marks in text [x]Jacket shows some losses [x]Jacket was edgewear in places with some chipping []Dust jacket is not present []Front and/or back hinge is cracked [x]Other: Jacket show considerable wear, although not price clipped, with significant chipping along top edge and large loss at the spine. Please see accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.
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