Puss in Boots and Other Fairy Tales

By Anon Anon and Mabel Lucie Attwell

Originally published in 1920 this charming book contains 'Puss in Boots' and many more of the oldest and most enduringly beloved fairy tales of childhood and is elegantly illustrated by the heavenly colour plates and black and white line drawings of Mabel Lucie Attwell. Contents Include: Puss in Boots; the Magic Mirror; the Goose-Girl; Brier Rose; The Iron Chest; Story of Blue Beard; Whittington and his Cat; and Cinderella. Many of the earliest children's books, particularly those dating back to the 1850s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Pook Press are working to republish these classic works in affordable, high quality, colour editions, using the original text and artwork so these works can delight another generation of children. About the Illustrator: Mabel Lucie Attwell (1879-1964) was a household name during the 1930s and 40s working mostly in watercolour and pen-and-ink. The public was enthusiastic about her delicate early work and her illustrations of chubby, endearing toddlers were enormously popular, lending her much commercial success.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pook Press
• Release date: Feb 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9781528782159

Book preview

ONCE upon a time there lived a poor miller who owned a tumble-down mill near a river; and though he had the help of his three sons, he could barely earn enough for himself and them to eat. At length the old miller died, leaving what little he possessed to his sons. The mill he left to the eldest son; the donkey and the ducks to the second; and Tom, the cat, to the youngest.

The two who got the mill and the donkey and ducks seemed contented enough; but the youngest son, who had nothing but the cat, thought that he was hardly used. My brothers, said he, may do well enough; but of what use is a cat to me? He may catch mice and do well for himself, while I may die of hunger.

The cat, who all the time had been listening as he sat at a mouse-hole near a cupboard door, came forth and stood on his hind legs before his master, who was lost in wonder when Puss began to say to him:—

"Of what use is a cat to you? Do you think I am worth nothing more than to hunt mice and to sleep in the sunshine? Do not thus trouble yourself, my good master. Only give me a bag and a pair of boots, so that I may scamper through the brambles, and you shall see that you are not so badly off as you think."

When Puss had got what he asked for, he gaily began to dress himself. He drew on the boots—a perfect fit; then slinging the bag over his shoulder and bidding his master take courage, he immediately set out.

He first went to a warren, in which there was a great number of rabbits. He put some bran and some parsley into the bag, and then stretched himself on the ground at full length, keeping one eye a little open. Before he had waited long, two silly rabbits, sniffing the bran and the parsley, popped into the bag, when Puss drew the strings and killed them with a bite on the back of the neck.

Proud of his prey, Puss hastened to the palace, where he managed to speak to the king. He bowed politely and said,—

Sire, I have brought you these rabbits from the warren of my Lord the Marquis of Carabas (this was the title Tom Puss thought proper to bestow on his master), who commanded me to lay them at your majesty’s feet.

Tell my Lord Marquis of Carabas, replied the king, that I accept his present with pleasure, and that I am greatly obliged to him.

One day the cat heard that the king intended to ride by the riverside with his daughter. He said to his master: If you will but follow my advice, your fortune is made. Take off your clothes and go into the river up to the chin; stay there, and leave the rest to me.

Robin, the miller’s son, did exactly as the cat told him. Presently the king came in sight, when Puss called out as loud as he could,—

Help! help! my Lord Marquis of Carabas is in danger of drowning!

The king, hearing the cries, put his head out at the carriage window; and seeing the very cat that had brought him the rabbits, he ordered his attendants to go at once to the help of my Lord Marquis of Carabas.

While they were taking the marquis out of the water, Puss ran to the king and told his majesty that while his master was bathing some rascal had run off with his clothes. Really, you know, that cunning rascal, Tom Puss, had hidden the shabby clothing under a large stone. On hearing the cat’s story, the king ordered the officer of the royal wardrobe to bring the handsomest suit it contained, and to present it to my Lord Marquis of Carabas. As the fine clothes brought made him look like a handsome nobleman,