The Melville Press is pleased to present the first in a series of tunnel books. Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat was originally published in 1871 and is, as he described it "nonesense, pure and absolute". Lear, a distinguished artist and zoological illustrator created his first Book of Nonsense for children of a patron, the earl of Derby. He is best known for The Owl and the Pussycat and other nonesense works. "He pursued his aim with scrupulous consistency, and his absurd conceits are fantastic and ridiculous, but never cheaply or vulgarly funny." Carolyn Wells. This edition includes a fragment from an unfinished sequel to
The Owl and the Pussycat, published posthumously.

Tunnel books, or peepshow books have their origins in a long line of optical experiments appearing as far back as 1437 when Leone Battista produced a small box with a peep hole that allowed the viewer to peer in and enjoy a scene in perspective. The tunnel book structure is usually composed of two or three accordions assembled with a view through the center. Text may be added to the front or back covers or encasing the tunnel.

This fourth edition from The Melville Press, printed in full color on Somerset Velvet 100% Cotton paper, is a lively moonlit scene with the characters afloat on a rolling sea.