I largely enjoyed this book. The background information on the form is great. The limericks are very clever and some very funny. Some had me nodding my head. My favorites were the “Tongue Twisters”, while many in the sections “Creative Misspellings” and “Creative Abbreviations” were difficult for me to parse and I was not able to appreciate those. Thank you to Netgalley and Dover Publications for the digital review copy.

Poorly edited compendium of limericks. The ARC is a mess with lines and entries run together. Some items don't have all of the pieces. Those faults will probably be fixed in the final edition. Beyond that, however, I don't see a scholarly effort at organization and presentation. Many of the limericks are unattributed, and some, frankly, are quite lame.

This book was not only fun but educational. It talks about the different types of limericks where they originated and the people who made them famous. I didn’t know that Humpty Dumpty was a version of a limerick that’s just one of the fun things you learn in this book. From songs to children’s books they’re everywhere and in “ there once was a limerick anthology“ you get to read not only where they came from but well-known names that authored them and more. It also has pages and pages of great limericks that will make you laugh. I like the funny ones the best but they all are so entertaining this is the type of stuff I absolutely love to read and I’m so glad I did! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

There once were some limericks in a book
that made you laugh when you had a look;
sharing rhymes through the ages
with limericks on all the pages,
'Twas quite a catalog the author undertook!

This little book is exactly what it says it is: a book full of limericks through the ages. The collection includes a little history lesson about how the form developed and who helped make it famous -- and plenty of laughs, as this form is meant to be funny. I enjoyed it, and anyone who likes this form will have fun with it.

This is mostly fun and entertaining. I didn't laugh out loud but it is a nice collection of humor. As usual, some are better than others.

Thanks very much for the free review copy for review!!

There Once Was a Limerick Anthology is an educational and useful ode to the perennial humble limerick curated by Michael Croland. Due out 17th Aug 2022 from Dover, it's 96 pages and will be available in paperback format as part of Dover's Thrift Editions.

This is not just a great anthology of limericks by famous poets. It's also a well written introduction and deconstruction of the form; explaining the form and function of the stanzas, each line, and some background history. I have been a lifelong lover of the lowly limerick and enjoyed this collection very much.

The entries are arranged thematically in chapters: Edward Lear, geographical limericks, names, quotations, misspellings, abbreviations, tongue twisters, limericks by famous figures, bawdy limericks (and some of them are *quite* naughty), and miscellany. The editors have included an abbreviated bibliography for further reading. Although this collection focuses on the poets of yesteryear, the editors have included an short afterword with a cleverly constructed modern limerick and a few pithy observations about the future of the form.

Four stars. Due to the explicit nature of the bawdy limericks, it might not be appropriate for school library acquisition. It would be a good choice for public or home library acquisition.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This little book gathers a diverse collection of about 350 limericks. [Limericks are a five-line poetic form with an aabba rhyme scheme and short -b lines, and are often humorous – or, at least, punny, quirky, or absurd. The form often uses forced rhymes or contorted language as part of the humor, leaning into the genre’s lowbrow image.] For those who’ve read Edward Lear and may be concerned that these limericks will, like much of Lear’s work, lack punch and humor to the modern ear, that’s not the case. The selected limericks include many clever and witty examples that land as well today as ever. [Lest it sound like I’m dissing Lear, I agree with Langford Reed’s limerick included in this edition – i.e. “We should never forget // That we owe him a debt”]

The limericks are grouped by a classification scheme. The book starts with the most common categories -- those that feature locations or proper names in the lead line. It has a few chapters that play with language, twisting it about through misspellings or plays on abbreviations. There’s a chapter that is all tongue twisters. Two of the more popular chapters are toward the end. One is a collection of limericks written by famous writers and personalities, such as: Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Robert Frost. The other features ribald limericks. For many, ribald and risqué is what comes to mind when one thinks of limericks – e.g. “There once was a young man from Nantucket.” This book aims for a general audience, and – therefore – avoids the edgiest of material, but it’s good that they realized they couldn’t dodge bawdy and raunchy material altogether, and still claim to be an overview of the form.

I enjoyed reading this collection tremendously. With so much public domain content, I thought there might be a lot of limericks that wouldn’t land, but – on the contrary – most were clever and fun. If you’re a fan of the form, this book is definitely worth reading. And it’s part of the Dover Thrift Edition collection, so no doubt you can pick it up for a song.

I enjoy a good limerick. Might even find an average one amusing. It’s a fun form and it’s been around for quite a while and many people (some surprising individuals) have taken it for a spin.
This adorable slim collection does its best to introduce the reader to the classic of the genre, cleaned up (tragically so) for the modern PC-driven audiences.
The book explains over and over again how it made every effort to avoid the bawdiness limericks are often known for and present only the most inoffensive ones in existence.
Organized in handy categories, they are still fun. Though frustratingly enough, I never remember a single one afterward.
A cute, fun, overcurrated read - a classic format for the modern age. Thanks Netgalley.

This was terribly boring. None of these limericks were that funny and/or engaging. I think it would have been better to Google limericks and just read whatever popped up. I don't recommend this anthology.