Beskrivelse
This collection of humorous verse, mostly of British Isle origin, was an influential part of my childhood. An uncle who lived in Scotland sent us a copy when I was 7 or so. My understanding is that he was so taken with the book that he sent a copy to everyone he knew. The book has an entire section devoted to tombstones, some of them fictitious, but some as real as the granite they were carved in, such as this one from a churchyard Devon, England: Here Lies a man who was killed by lightning;/ He died when his prospects seemed to be brightening./ He might have cut a flash in this world of/ trouble,/ But the flash cut him, and he lies in the stubble. Arnold Silcock, who collected the verse in this book, had a sharp ear for verse that didn’t just tell a joke, but that played with language itself, such as in this verse from Robert Longden: The Emperor Claudius/ Used to keep a baudius./ When he got more criminal/ He ran a den on the Viminal. This book should be on the shelf of anyone who likes language, history, and humour.
