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Epub ISBN: 9781473538436
Version 1.0
Copyright © Michael Palin 1985, 2016
Illustrations © Tony Ross 1985, 2016
Michael Palin has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Many of the limericks in this collection first appeared in Michael Palin’s Limericks.
First edition published by Hutchinson in 1985
This edition published by Random House Books in 2016
Random House Books
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London, SW1V 2SA
www.penguin.co.uk
Random House Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781847947994
As the old saying goes, a limerick is for life, and not just for Christmas. But there is something festive about this particular literary form, and I’ve always thought their natural home might be inside a cracker, wrapped around those cosy little gifts like self-assembling ear-rings and plastic thumbscrews. No cracker company has yet seen the wisdom of my plan, so I decided to by-pass the Christmas table altogether and unload A Sackful of Limericks straight onto your pile of presents. They’re written to appeal to all those who run out of things to unwrap. Now, instead of looking sad and unloved, they can fight back by reciting a limerick or ten, entertaining, irritating and annoying all those who are slowly amassing socks, homemade jams and pruning shears. They can also be used when Grandad wakes up, or the computer goes down, or to get rid of unwanted guests. They can also be used to help digestion, frighten the cat, and break the ice when the vicar calls.