From ancient times cats have occupied a special place in many cultures around the world. They have generated a fascinating array of words and expressions, as well as poems, books, movies, cartoons and artworks. Max Cryer celebrates cats and all they have given to us. Explores their attributes, night vision, sense of smell, sleep requirements, life expectancy and more. Everything you ever wanted to know about cats can be enjoyed in this magnificent miscellany. To be read with one on your lap.
The celebrated comic artist and graphic novelist explores the unique joys of living with a cat in this delightful collection. Featured in McSweeney’s and on NPR’s This American Life, Jeffrey Brown’s work has always paid tribute to felines as they curl up on couches and purr on the peripheries of his autobiographical stories. Cat Getting Out of a Bag follows his cat Misty—really, any cat—as she goes about her everyday activities and adventures. In a series of drawings, Brown perfectly captures the universal charm of cats in a lovely book sure to please fans and cat lovers of any stripe.
We cannot get enough of cats: from ancient times they have occupied a special place in many different cultures around the world. They have also generated a fascinating array of words, expressions and observations, as well as poems, books, movies, cartoons and artworks. In this witty and entertaining book, Max Cryer celebrates cats and all they have given to us. He describes the many words and expressions they have inspired, from ‘catnip’ and ‘catwalk’ to ‘the cat’s whiskers’ and ‘raining cats and dogs’, as well as famous cat characters like Garfield, Felix the Cat, The Cat in the Hat and Puss in Boots, songs as varied as ‘What’s New Pussycat?’ and ‘The Cats’ Duet’, and poems like ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ and ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’. The cats owned by famous celebrities are described, from Elizabeth Taylor’s ‘Jeepers Creepers’ to Dr Johnson’s ‘Hodge’. In other chapters he explores cats’ attributes, the strength of their night vision and sense of smell, their sleep requirements, life expectancy and much more. Surprising facts – and spurious fictions – can be found on almost every page. Everything you ever wanted to know about cats can be enjoyed in this magnificent compendium of a book. It is a delight from beginning to end to be read with one on your lap.
This book was written in prison at one of the lowest times of my life. It is a book of sorrow triumphs and tragedies from the depths of my heart and the recesses of my soul. The majority are in poems that came to mind at that time.The beginning of the story is about the fragment of a man who threw his life away hiding in the confines of his mind under the tragedies of addictions.
From beautiful lyrics to madcap waggery, from the prime suspect in a partridge killing in ancient Greece to the medieval monk's cat Pangur Bán and encompassing odes, fables, stories, limericks, songs, nursery rhymes and more, Mark Bryant has compiled a wonderfully evocative collection of writing of all kinds on cats by those who love them. There are poems from Chaucer, Baudelaire, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy, Christina Rossetti, Shelley and Wordsworth; humorous pieces by Lewis Carroll, Ambrose Bierce, Edward Lear and Jerome K. Jerome; and other delights from writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Saki and Mark Twain. From ancient Egypt to the recent past, covering every genre, from humour and fantasy to romance and horror, and drawn from every part of the world, these stories, poems and excerpts from essays, letters, diaries and journals provide a collection to delight any cat-lover.
The Clydeside cats are an adventurous bunch. Rhuari Red Cat, Olivia Orange Cat, Ya Yellow Cat, Gertie Green Cat, Bobby Blue Cat and Peter Purple Cat will share their stories with you and take you on a fun-filled journey on the River Clyde in Scotland.
These "Fireside Papers" are all the flying years have left me of many happy hours . . In them linger the thoughts, hopes, and remembrances of evenings gladdened by the sweet fellowship of friends that age not with the failing strength of those who have loved them and who will always love them. The ancients called all good books a " Treasury of Remedies for the Mind," but they are more than that, for in them gather what is best in every age and land. The philosophers, poets, and teachers of all time are with us still. When they were on earth, as we are at the present moment, they were called living men and women; and now that we see them no more with the natural eye, we think of them as dead. Nevertheless they are not dead, but live and breathe and have their being in many books of priceless value.
Be the cat that got the cream with this feline collection of easy sewing patterns for the cutest cat designs, all made using simple hand-sewing techniques. Featuring the most popular and distinctive breeds – including long-haired, short-haired, hairless and even big cats –each pussycat pattern comes with step-by-step instructions and full-size templates, making them purrrfect for all abilities. The finished little kitties would make cute brooches, bag charms and home accessories, or can even be scaled up to make bigger plushes, all of which will make your cat-loving friends have kittens! Cats? But they're all the same, aren't they? Well, no not really! When you start to explore the many different breeds of cats, you realise just what a variety of breeds there is, and how different they are from each other. Author Alison J Reid has spent months beavering away in her studio, researching all different kinds of cats, both domestic and wild. She has checked out their colourings and markings, and spent so much time trying to perfect their colourful, beautiful eyes. It became an obsession! It was only by researching the various details that make each breed so distinctive, that Alison has been able to capture each of their unique qualities and differences. Pattern, colour and shape are key, so capturing these details in felt was important. Luckily, there are so many different colours of felt available, including fur-like mottled effects. Felt's non-fraying, double sided, robust qualities make it easy to create all the little details that make each cat breed so unique and instantly recognisable. She has also used small amounts of wool curls and roving to add texture for truly strokable results. Each cat pattern can be traced straight from the page (or enlarged if you want to sew a larger plush), and simple instructions mean that even beginners can get started. And because all the cats are sewn by hand, you don't need a sewing machine and can sit on the sofa with your cat while you sew. Whether you choose to sew just your own favourites, or make cats for the other crazy cat people in your life, this book will provide hours of fun and inspiration.