Though best known today for his volumes of Nonsense poetry and his classic work, "the Owl and the Pussy-Cat," Edward Lear in his time was considered the finest ornithological draftsman in Europe (the equal of Audubon) and a highly accomplished landscape painter. Acquainted with the Tennysons and members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, he also corresponded with zoologists, politicians, peers, and children. Indeed, his interests and travels were remarkably wide, and his collected letters range through a broad spectrum of ...
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Though best known today for his volumes of Nonsense poetry and his classic work, "the Owl and the Pussy-Cat," Edward Lear in his time was considered the finest ornithological draftsman in Europe (the equal of Audubon) and a highly accomplished landscape painter. Acquainted with the Tennysons and members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, he also corresponded with zoologists, politicians, peers, and children. Indeed, his interests and travels were remarkably wide, and his collected letters range through a broad spectrum of Victorian life, from his early days as an ornithological draftsman, his eleven years in Rome, his return to England in 1850, his travels to remote parts of the world, and his retirement in San Remo. In addition to descriptions of the contemporary art world, his own painting and writing, and his voyages to far-flung places, the letters are filled with Lear's characteristic absurdities and Nonsense, often accompanied by whimsical pen-and-ink drawings of Lear and his beloved cat Old Foss. Published on the centenary of his death and edited by Vivien Noakes (author of the definitive biography of Lear), this is the only comprehensive collection of his letters available.
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