Old chestnuts warmed up

An irresistible volume of verse and doggerel, perfect for reciting to oneself or as the occasion arises. In the spirit of his previous volume, A Gentleman Publisher's Commonplace Book,John R. Murray here offers the reader this very personal collection of poetry, doggerel, and verse. His criteria for inclusion? Each piece Murray at one time or another learned by heartRobert Louis Stevenson's "The Lamplighter," Edward Lear's "How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear," and the anonymously penned "Birds, Bears, Bags, and Buns" among them. Lovingly designed by the author and cleverly illustrated throughout, this slim volume happily reminds us of the simple pleasures of reciting verse.