Skip to main content
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (with full-color illustrations)

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (with full-color illustrations)

Current price: $16.99
Publication Date: October 19th, 2009
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN:
9780547248271
Pages:
80

Description

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. 

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.

Praise for Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (with full-color illustrations)

"The distinctive personalities of each cat--brought to life by Scheffler's expressive cartoonlike paintings--and Eliot's lyrical, tongue-and-cheek wordplay, will appeal to a new generation of cat aficionados."--Publishers Weekly  "Edward Gorey's version (Harcourt, 1982) captures Eliot's nuanced humor in stylized black-and-white cartoons. Scheffler's illustrations add colorful detail and playfulness, but both editions bring out the timeless wit and wisdom of these poems. Make room for both editions; cat (and even dog) lovers everywhere will welcome Scheffler's marvelous work."--School Library Journal, starred review