T.S. Eliot pays tribute to "Mr. Mistoffelees, " "The Run Tum Tugger, " "Macavity: The Mystery Cat, " and a variety of other cats in this engaging collection of humorous poems. Originally composed to amuse Mr. Eliot's intimate friends, to whom they were sent anonymously, these verses have proven irresistible to cat lovers, lovers of nonsense, and admirers of T.S. Eliot throughout the English-speaking world.
Table of Contents:
The Naming of Cats -- The Old Gumbie Cat -- Growltiger's Last Stand -- The Rum Tum Tugger -- The Song of the Jellicles -- Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer -- Old Deuteronomy -- The Pekes and the Pollicles -- Mr. Mistoffelees -- Macavity: The Mystery Cat -- Gus: The Theatre Cat -- Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town -- Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat -- The Ad-dressing of Cats -- Cat Morgan Introduces Himself.
Review Quotes:
"Enough ferocious fancy and parody to knock the spots off most cat books." - Time
"Mr. Eliot successfully avoides the usual vices of children's books, archness and cuteness; for his cats are practical cats, cats engaged in getting something purposeful done or undone." - The Nation
"An absolutely marvelous rendition of Eliot's poetic classic, written for his godchildren and friends in the 1930s, which inspired the Broadway musical Cats." - Library Journal (starred review)
"Delightful Learish verse on very English cat characters, with flashes of superior, donnish satire." - The New Yorker
THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT was born in St Louis, Missouri, in 1888. He moved to England in 1914 and published his first book of poems in 1917. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. Eliot died in 1965.
Edward Gorey (1925-2000) wrote and illustrated such popular books as The Doubtful Guest, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and The Headless Bust. He was also a very successful set and costume designer, earning a Tony Award for his Broadway production of Edward Gorey's Dracula. Animated sequences of his work have introduced the PBS series Mystery! since 1980.