Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - Hardcover

Eliot, T. S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 054724827X ISBN 13: 9780547248271

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009

Synopsis

T. S. Eliot's famous collection of nonsense verse about cats--the inspiration for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats, now made into a major motion picture. This edition features vibrant illustrations by Axel Scheffler.

T. S. Eliot's playful cat poems have delighted readers and cat lovers around the world ever since they were first published in 1939. They were originally composed for his godchildren, with Eliot posing as Old Possum himself, and later inspired the legendary musical Cats. Now with vibrant illustrations by the award-winning Axel Scheffler, this captivating edition makes a wonderful new home for Mr. Mistoffelees, Growltiger, the Rum Tum Tugger, Macavity the mystery cat, and many other memorable strays. It's the perfect complement to the beloved previous edition, which remains available.

About this title

Review

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, it isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.

The phenomenal worldwide success in the 1980s of the musical Cats refuelled interest in T.S. Eliot's classic Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats on which the stage extravaganza was based. Old Possum's Book, originally published in 1939 and dedicated to Eliot's godchildren, contains a delightful rogues' gallery of felines, including the Rum Tum Tugger cat whose "disobliging ways are a matter of habit", Mr Mistoffelees "The Original Conjuring Cat" and Macavity: The Mystery Cat "the master criminal who can defy the law". Loved by generations of children and adults alike, Old Possum is perhaps most remarkable for having been written almost as an aside, a plaything, by Eliot, as a distraction from the internal religious and philosophical wranglings he charted in Four Quartets.

A warm and witty collection of free-verse poems, which demand to be read aloud and given full dramatic import, this edition of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats has been reissued by Faber and Faber Limited in a slim pocket-sized edition, with original tongue-in-cheek illustrations by Nicolas Bentley. --Catherine Taylor

Review

"The distinctive personalities of each cat--brought to life by Scheffler's expressive cartoonlike paintings--and Eliot's lyrical, tongue-and-cheek wordplay, will appeal to a new generation of cat aficionados."--Publishers Weekly "Edward Gorey's version (Harcourt, 1982) captures Eliot's nuanced humor in stylized black-and-white cartoons. Scheffler's illustrations add colorful detail and playfulness, but both editions bring out the timeless wit and wisdom of these poems. Make room for both editions; cat (and even dog) lovers everywhere will welcome Scheffler's marvelous work."--School Library Journal, starred review

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 054724827X
• ISBN 13: 9780547248271
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Scheffler Axel