The Natural History of Edward Lear

Peck (Land of the Eagle: A Natural History of North America) brings to light the lesser known career of Edward Lear, the beloved children’s book author best known for his nonsensical limericks and quirky illustrations. Lear began drawing “for bread and cheese” around 1827, making morbid disease illustrations for hospitals and doctors. He soon switched to scientific illustrations of birds and animals in the 1830s and published esteemed volumes of prints such as Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae. From there he traveled widely and took up landscape painting, winning recognition and becoming a tutor to Queen Victoria. Peck leads reader’s through the back roads of Lear’s multifaceted career, noting that he found success wherever he applied himself, but the focus of the book is on Lear as a painter of natural history, with plenty of his illustrations beautifully reproduced within. This is a keepsake for fans of Lear and anyone interested in art and natural history. Color illus. (Nov.)