The Lure of the Limerick

The limerick’s an art-form complex
Whose contents run chiefly to sex.
It’s famous for virgins
And masculine urgin’s
And vulgar erotic effects.

The core of this bestselling, superbly entertaining book is a collection of nearly five hundred examples of the limerick form, arranged for easy reference in alphabetical order of subject.

There is also a critical examination of the form and structure of the verse which traces the origins from ancient Greek times through Shakespeare to Edward Lear (the founding father) and on to more recent writers — proper homage is, of course, paid to that great anthologiser and annotator Norman Douglas.