John Richard Stephens
Prima
Nonfiction, Cats/Media Reference
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The Enchanted Cat
The Enchanted Cat
John Richard Stephens
Prima
Nonfiction, Cats/Media Reference
***
The Enchanted Cat
DESCRIPTION: With its grace and inscrutable nature, cats have inspired humans throughout history. A collection of poetry and prose about the cat, from many ages and cultures, highlights this influence. Historical documents, anecdotes, and fragments of fiction are presented here, along with feline-relevant artwork.
REVIEW: This proves that an awful lot of dull, repetitive stuff has been written about cats over the years. There are some serious oversights - such as not a single T.S. Eliot poem - and a couple entries which mystify me as to why they were included, as they had little if anything to do with cats. Personally, I found The Dog Lover's Literary Companion (owned by a relative, and not reviewed here) to be a better collection of animal stories. Most of the entries blend together, but there are a few real gems hidden in here, especially among the prose. I found the pictures more interesting than most of the text. All in all, it still holds a place on my bookshelf, but I don't look at it very often.
You might also enjoy:
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (T. S. Eliot, Poetry - Lively verses that inspired the musical "Cats")
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The King of Cats and Other Feline Fairy Tales
John Richard Stephens
Faber and Faber
Nonfiction, Cats/Folklore
****
DESCRIPTION: Cats have appeared in folk tales and fairy stories around the world. This collection brings together several such stories, including familiar favorites and a few more obscure tracts.
REVIEW: I bought it to go with my cat collection, obviously, but I also enjoyed the fairy tales contained within. Richards annotates them, including notes on the origins (when known) and, sometimes, several variants on similar stories; Puss in Boots and the tale of Dick Whittington's cat have several versions, with some surprise endings on a few of them. Granted, a few drug and one or two were simply too obscure, written for a mindset too far removed in time and space for me to connect with, but overall this is a nice collection of fairy tale felines.
You might also enjoy:
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (T. S. Eliot, Poetry - Lively verses that inspired the musical "Cats")
Cats in Space (Brian Fawcett, editor, Fiction - Sci-fi tales of cats)
Catfantastic I - IV (Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg, editors, Fiction - Fantasy and sci-fi stories about cats, including several updates on fairy tale themes)
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