A limerick is a subtle mixture of puns, rhymes, rhythm, story and characters, often seasoned with an indefinable pinch of genius. Some have become wildly popular and gone round the world in newspapers and on people's lips. Great limericks live on for ever in anthologies.
Some limericks, however, by a strange interlinking of associations and adventures, have managed to acquire a kind of secret life which can be at least as interesting as the verse itself. During a forty year study of the history and development of the limerick verse form, Bob Turvey has stumbled on a number of these strangely fascinating back-stories:
These and other stories are told at length in The Secret Life of Limericks: an indulgent treat for limerick aficionados and newcomers alike.