Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

By T. S. Eliot

The inspiration for the iconic musical Cats, T. S. Eliot's classic and delightful collection of poetry about cats.

These playful verses by a celebrated poet have delighted readers and cat lovers around the world since they were gathered for publication in 1939.

As Valerie Eliot has pointed out, there are a number of references to cats in T.S. Eliot's work, but it was to his godchildren, particularly Tom Faber and Alison Tandy, that he first revealed himself as "Old Possum" and for whom he composed his poems.

This captivating edition is a curious homage to felines young and old, merry and fierce, small and unmistakably round. Also includes Edward Gorey's charming pen and ink illustrations. Gorey gives a fresh intepretation of "Mr. Mistoffelees," "Growltiger," "The Rum Tum Tugger," "Bustopher Jones," "Skimbleshanks," "Macavity: the Mystery Cat," and a variety of other memorable feline strays all of whom have been brought to life on the stage in the hit musical Cats.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780358380153

T. S. Eliot

T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He moved to England in 1914 and published his first book of poems in 1917. Eliot received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948 and is best known for his masterpiece The Waste Land. Eliot died in 1965.

Book preview

Copyright 1939 by T. S. Eliot

Copyright renewed 1967 by Esme Valerie Eliot

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [e-mail] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

hmhbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

Cover image © 2019 Universal Pictures

eISBN 978-0-358-38015-3

v3.1019

Preface

This Book is respectfully dedicated to those friends who have assisted its composition by their encouragement, criticism and suggestions: and in particular to Mr. T. E. Faber, Miss Alison Tandy, Miss Susan Wolcott, Miss Susanna Morley, and the Man in White Spats.

O.P.

The Naming of Cats

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.

First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily,

Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,

Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey—

All of them sensible everyday names.

There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,

Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:

Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter—

But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular,

A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified,

Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,

Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,

Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,

Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum—

Names that never belong to more than one cat.

But above and beyond there’s still one name left over,

And that is the name that you never will guess;

The name that no human research can discover—

But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and

Reviews for Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

[Stephanie.Books · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book of poems about cats, it describes several of them and the funny lives they lead, and how to address them. If you love cats (like I do ?), you will enjoy it; it's a short book with beautiful illustrations. (Translated from Spanish)

[March Delgado · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Point 10 of the Folklore challenge, proposed by @QueenElizabeth09, a little-read genre that I enjoy doing, in this case poetry, and point 3 of the mini-challenge by @Andrea Milano, cover with an animal, completed.
This book contains fifteen poems dedicated to cats, each with its feline protagonist. The edition I chose is illustrated, and I’m glad about that; it also includes the original version in English, which I’m very pleased about because it has shown me how rusty my English is after 20 years of not using it. I would have liked to enjoy it as this author deserves, but I couldn’t. And all of this is included in 120 pages.
I never read poetry, so this book seemed perfect for reconciling with it. It can be read in a short time and leaves a good feeling, especially the one of not understanding cats at all, even if you’ve been living with one of them for years. I recommend it for a nice time reading light poetry. (Translated from Spanish)

[Lulilee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For a cat lover like me, this little poetry collection is like a good cup of coffee on a cold afternoon, just what I needed. It's simple, fun, and beautiful. Each poem is the story of a particular cat, except for a few that speak about cats in general, but I loved the narrative quality of each one, the author's style... What a beautiful thing!! I hope to be able to get it in physical form someday. (Translated from Spanish)

[PatoNotaristefano · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's always healthy to have a little poetry.
And if it's good poetry, even better.
Here, Elliot the Opossum introduces us to his sensible cats. He explains how to treat them, how to call them, what to do, and what to expect from each of them.
I recommend the bilingual version to enjoy the play with words.
Ah! This book inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber to compose his musical comedy Cats from the '80s. (Translated from Spanish)