Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Thomas Stearns Eliot

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009 - Juvenile Nonfiction - 64 pages

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.

Contents

• THE NAMING OF CATS: 1
• THE OLD GUMBIE CAT: 4
• GROWLTIGERS LAST STAND: 8
• THE RUM TUM TUGGER: 14
• THE SONG OF THE JELLICLES: 18
• MUNGOJERRIE AND RUMPELTEAZER: 22
• OLD DEUTERONOMY: 27
• THE PEKES AND THE POLLICLES: 31
• MR MISTOFFELEES: 36
• THE MYSTERY CAT: 40
• THE THEATRE CAT: 44
• THE CAT ABOUT TOWN: 49
• THE RAILWAY CAT: 52
• THE ADDRESSING OF CATS: 58
• CAT MORGAN INTRODUCES HIMSELF: 62

About the author

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. T. S. ELIOTwon the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. He is most famous for such poems as "The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock" and "The Waste Land." He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and educated at Harvard University, but spent most of his adult life living in London, England. AXEL SCHEFFLERhas achieved wide acclaim as a children's book illustrator, with many of his books published throughout the world. He's the illustrator ofThe GruffaloandThe Gruffalo's Child,by Julia Donaldson. Axel lives in London, England.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
• Author: Thomas Stearns Eliot
• Illustrated by: Axel Scheffler
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009
• ISBN: 054724827X, 9780547248271
• Length: 64 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Cats; Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Cats; Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General; Poetry / General; Poetry / Subjects & Themes / Animals & Nature