The New Book of Nonsense was published for sale at the Philadelphia Great Central Sanitary Fair, which ran from June 7 to June 29, 1864. It is an imitation of Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense.
Transcript:
There was an old cove in a church,
Who nodded and then gave a lurch,
But he cried “I’m awake! You have made a mistake
To suppose that I’d sleep in the church!”
Citation: The new book of nonsense. A contribution to the Great Central Fair in aid of the Sanitary Commission. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1864. A 864n