Frank Gelett Burgess (0 books)

Frank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 – September 18, 1951) was an artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist, writing under the name "Gelett Burgess" and other pseudonyms. An important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his iconoclastic little magazine, The Lark. At first, the magazine was edited and written primarily by Burgess,… (more)

Frank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 – September 18, 1951) was an artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist, writing under the name "Gelett Burgess" and other pseudonyms. An important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his iconoclastic little magazine, The Lark. At first, the magazine was edited and written primarily by Burgess, who took great delight in creating pseudonyms for himself. For example, in volume 1, four of the other "authors" are Burgess writing under different names.

He is best known as a writer of nonsense verse and books for children. He was the author of the popular Goops books. Annually, the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award is given in his honor to the top children's books of the year.

He coined the term "blurb," meaning a short description of a book, film, or other product written for promotional purposes.

"The Purple Cow" (the full title was "The Purple Cow: Reflections on a Mythic Beast Who's Quite Remarkable, at Least"), an illustrated four-line poem that appeared in the first number of The Lark, was to remain the ne plus ultra of nonsense verse that Burgess would spend his life unsuccessfully attempting to surpass.

"I never saw a purple cow;
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one!"

(Source: Wikipedia.)