Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is a set of whimsical poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology. It was first published in 1939 with cover illustrations by the author, and subsequently in 1940 illustrated in full by Nicolas Bentley. An edition was published in 1982 that featured illustrations by Edward Gorey.
Contents of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, along with the name of the featured cat when appropriate:
- The Naming of Cats
- The Old Gumbie Cat (Jennyanydots)
- Growltiger’s Last Stand
- The Rum Tum Tugger
- The Song of the Jellicles
- Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer
- Old Deuteronomy
- The Pekes and the Pollicles (Great Rumpuscat)
- Mr. Mistoffelees
- Macavity: The Mystery Cat
- Gus: The Theatre Cat
- Bustopher Jones: The Cat about Town
- Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat
- The Ad-dressing of Cats
- Cat Morgan Introduces Himself (added in the 1952 edition)
Cultural references
In 1954 the English composer Alan Rawsthorne set six of the poems in a work for speaker and orchestra entitled Practical Cats. It was recorded soon after, with the actor Robert Donat as the speaker. The work inspired the story for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. The musical introduces several additional characters from Eliot's unpublished drafts—most notably Grizabella. [1]
References
- T.S. Eliot (1982). Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-168656-4.
External links
T.S. Eliot Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats with a concordance
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