Puss in Books
Distributed for British Library
112 pages
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80 color plates
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5 x 8
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© 2012
Whether it’s a piano-playing cat, a surprised cat, or one that’s just plain adorable, some of the most-watched online videos these days feature funny felines. And it doesn’t end there; cats are ubiquitous on the Internet, inspiring meme after meme, speaking their own language, and even prompting the launch of a new film festival. But the omnipresence of the cat in pop culture is not novel. Feline references date from before 2000 BC in ancient Egypt, and since the introduction of cats to Western households they have inspired writers and artists—from the scribe of the Lindisfarne Gospels to poets of the present day.
Puss in Books is a celebration of feline wit, intelligence, aloofness, and charm as presented through cats in books, with examples from literature, folklore, and popular culture. Among the selections included in this gorgeous volume are nursery rhymes (“Hey Diddle Diddle”and “Ding Dong Bell”); poetry by Thomas Gray (“Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes”) and T. S. Eliot (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats); cats in fiction by Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll, and Charles Dickens; and contemporary feline characters such as Splat the Cat and, of course, the ubiquitous Puss in Boots himself.
Wonderfully illustrated in color throughout, Puss in Books is an ideal gift for every cat lover.
Contents
Introduction
Egyptian Cats
The Lindisfarne Gospels Cat
Siamese Cats
Medieval Cats
Witches’ Cats
The Cat and the Fiddle from Hey Diddle Diddle
Ding Dong Bell
Christopher Smart’s cat Jeoffry from Jubilate Agno (Rejoice in the Lamb)
Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes
Cats and Royalty
Dick Whittington’s Cat
The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership
Puss in Boots
Lady Jane from Bleak House
Simpkin from The Tailor of Gloucester
The Owl and the Pussycat
The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland
The Black Cat
The Cat That Walked by Himself
The Boy Who Drew Cats
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
Orlando the Marmalade Cat
Fat Freddy’s Cat
Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle
101 Uses of a Dead Cat
Simon’s Cat
Splat the Cat
Index
Picture Sources
Acknowledgements
For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu
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Art: Art--General Studies
Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory
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