The Blue Peter book of Limericks

1972 was a very good year for the Blue Peter publishing output with not just the annual, but also their first ever paperback book, The Blue Peter Book of Limericks.

The book was published by Pan Books Ltd in association with the British Broadcasting Corporation aka BBC. The book was edited by Biddy Baxter and Rosemary Gill with illustrations by  Peter Firmin and Edward Lear.

The Book of Limericks was an anthology of just some of the incredible 8,299 entries to the Blue Peter Limerick Competition. 

The introduction to the book provides a wonderful history of the limerick itself as well as tips on how to write a good one:

"A good limerick is not an easy thing to write. When you read them, you might think they're simple to invent, but they're not because there are rules you have to stick to. Limericks always have five lines and they're always nonsensical. The secret is to have a story in your limerick, to get a good couple of rhymes and always to have a funny last line".

The history of the limerick begins predictably in Ireland as far back as 800 AD when Irish writers first started writing in this rather peculiar way. The genre may have got the name limerick after the landlord of a tavern in Limerick City, John 'The Gay' O'Tuomy, became famous for writing such verses for his friends.

In 1820 a set of limericks was published in England called Anecdotes and Adventures of Fifteen Young Ladies, followed by a sequel, The History of Sixteen Wonderful Old Women.

A larger book of limericks was published in 1846 called A Book of Nonsense authored and illustrated by Edward Lear. Some of his illustrations and verses were published in the Blue Peter book, hence he is credited in this book even though he had been deceased for a more than a century.

Given the number of entries to choose from, the standard of the limericks in the book was high and included:

There was a young man named Pete,
Whose hair hung down to his feet
Said Val to John
"It's getting too long
We can't let him out on the street"

Karen Fisher aged 10

There once was a tortoise called Speedy
whose eye was ever so beady
His mate was called Kate
Green lettuce they ate
And lived in a run that was weedy.

Christopher R Randell aged 7

There was a headmaster called Skinner
At games he was always a winner
He won games of chess
And to Loch Ness
Then had the monster for dinner.

Fergus Cross
Aged 9

You get the gist no doubt? Anyway, at just 20 pence, The Blue Peter book of Limericks was a bargain. My copy cost me far more than that on E-Bay.

Incidentally, it seems that between 1972 and 1973 there were five print runs of this book and during this period the front cover changed. So if like me you are an avid collector of all things Blue Peter, for a complete collection it might be worth looking out for both versions.

Ah! Damn you Blue Peter!

There was an old geezer called Pete
Who thought it would be quite a feat
To track down online
A BP library so fine
But the reprints had him totally beat!