Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - Hardcover

by T. S. Eliot (Author), Edward Gorey (Author)

The inspiration for the iconic musical Cats, T. S. Eliot's classic and delightful collection of poetry about cats, with whimsical illustrations by Edward Gorey.

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 and artful 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.

Back Jacket

Mr. T.S. Eliot intimate friends received from time to time typewritten verses which were apparently anonymous but which were always identifiable. The poems which concern cats are presented here.

Author Biography

THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT was born in 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri, and became a British subject in 1927. The acclaimed poet of The
Waste Land, Four Quartets, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, among numerous other poems, prose, and works of drama,
won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. T.S. Eliot died in 1965 in London, England, and is buried in Westminster Abbey.