The Enchanted Cat
John Richard Stephens
Prima
Nonfiction, Media Reference/Pets/Poetry
Themes: Cross-Genre, Felines
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Description
With its grace and inscrutable nature, the cat has 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 Historical documents, anecdotes, and fragments of fiction are presented here, along with feline-relevant artwork.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. 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.