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The Cat's Cradle-Book
The Viking edition was actually published in 1960 and is the US edition, the first printing of which should be written as First US Edition/First Printing. Chatto & Windus of London published the true first edition in 1960 prior the the Viking edition.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
180 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Sylvia Townsend Warner
94 books487 followersSylvia Townsend Warner was born at Harrow on the Hill, the only child of George Townsend Warner and his wife Eleanora (Nora) Hudleston. Her father was a house-master at Harrow School and was, for many years, associated with the prestigious Harrow History Prize which was renamed the Townsend Warner History Prize in his honor, after his death in 1916. As a child, Sylvia seemingly enjoyed an idyllic childhood in rural Devonshire, but was strongly affected by her father's death.
She moved to London and worked in a munitions factory at the outbreak of World War I. She was friendly with a number of the "Bright Young Things" of the 1920s. Her first major success was the novel Lolly Willowes. In 1923 Warner met T. F. Powys whose writing influenced her own and whose work she in turn encouraged. It was at T.F. Powys' house in 1930 that Warner first met Valentine Ackland, a young poet. The two women fell in love and settled at Frome Vauchurch in Dorset. Alarmed by the growing threat of fascism, they were active in the Communist Party of Great Britain, and visited Spain on behalf of the Red Cross during the Civil War. They lived together from 1930 until Ackland's death in 1969. Warner's political engagement continued for the rest of her life, even after her disillusionment with communism. She died on 1 May 1978.
She moved to London and worked in a munitions factory at the outbreak of World War I. She was friendly with a number of the "Bright Young Things" of the 1920s. Her first major success was the novel Lolly Willowes. In 1923 Warner met T. F. Powys whose writing influenced her own and whose work she in turn encouraged. It was at T.F. Powys' house in 1930 that Warner first met Valentine Ackland, a young poet. The two women fell in love and settled at Frome Vauchurch in Dorset. Alarmed by the growing threat of fascism, they were active in the Communist Party of Great Britain, and visited Spain on behalf of the Red Cross during the Civil War. They lived together from 1930 until Ackland's death in 1969. Warner's political engagement continued for the rest of her life, even after her disillusionment with communism. She died on 1 May 1978.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 6, 2017
A few years ago I was lucky enough to come across what must have been the collection of a devoted admirer of Sylvia Townsend Warner in a secondhand bookshop. There was a long line of books on a shelf, and I picked up a biographies, letters and several collections of short story. The most intriguing of all those books was ‘The Cat’s Cradle Book’.
It had that interesting title, a very lengthy introduction, and then a generous helping of short pieces with enticing titles.
The introduction is the author’s account of her visit to a lovely house in the country, occupied by a handsome young man and a great many cats. She spoke to the cats that she encountered, and she was scolded by the young man when she had to admit that she understood cat rather better than she spoke it.
He told her that she should learn it properly, that there was no reason why she shouldn’t be fluent. And then he told her his own story, how he came to the house, how his relationship with the many cats who lived there had blossomed, and how he had decided to devote his life to studying and understanding the cultural history of cats.
His greatest discovery was that cats were storytellers; that stories were passed down through the generations, shared between fellow travellers, and might be told to anyone who might care to listen.
“Good heavens, what trouble people will put themselves to in order to avoid a simple conclusion! Do try to be reasonable! For ages the languages of men have kept them apart. For ages the Cat language has been catholic, explicit, unvarying. I understand it, you understand it, every child picks up an inkling of it. When cats creep into children’s cradles and old women say that they are sucking the child’s breath, what do you suppose they are doing? Keeping them quiet with a story – and better than their mothers can!”
He hoped that the stories would be published, that his work would be not an end but a beginning of a whole new academic field. The stories would be published, but he would not live to see it, because the lives of all those who lived at that lovely house in the country were lost in a terrible tragedy.
It was so lucky that he had given copies of some of the stories to his visitor, and that she was able to have then published with her introduction and a simple explanatory note.
“The following stories are chosen from the collection of traditional narratives current among cats, made by the late Mr William Farthing of Spain Hall, Norfolk. The selection is the editior’s.”
Those stories are everything you might expect from cats who have travelled, cats who have observed the world around them and other more foolish creatures. The perspective is wonderfully feline, and though it took me a little while to adjust to a very different worldview I am so glad that I did.
I saw that cats must have walked alongside mediaeval troubadors, that at least one cat must have been looking over Aesop’s shoulder, and that Perrault and other great tellers of fairy tales much have had feline companions.
They are also everything you might hope for from Sylvia Townsend Warner. There is lovely use of language, there is wit, and there is usually more than a simple story. You could skate over the surface of most of these stories, reading them as simple fables or as clever tales, but if you stop and think there is often much more to mull over. A clever allegory, an echo of bigger story, a lesson that human’s would do well to learn.
I’m sure that her cats must have been very proud of her.
It’s difficult to pick favourites, each tale had its own merits, but I must pick out a few.
‘The Fox Pope’ is a lovely fable that tells of a fox who tries to learn from other animals, who tries to retire and live as a hermit, but who finds he cannot escape from the world expectations of what a fox should be. And that maybe he cannot escape from his own nature.
‘The Magpie Charity’ is a clever account of crows who become trustees of a magpie’s estate and must decide which starving cats are deserving of their charity.
‘The Phoenix Nest’ is a story with a moral that sees the rarest of birds fall into the hands of the proprietor of a ‘Wizard Wonderland’ who failed to appreciate him because he would rather sleep than show off, and who would learn that a little knowledge was a dangerous thing..
‘The Two Mothers’ is a short and moving account of how bereaved mothers of two very different species see that role; and if that isn’t a very fine allegory I don’t know what is.
If you were to ask me of these are Sylvia Townsend Warner’s best short stories I would have to say no, and note that none of them made it into the thick Virago volume of selected short stories.
But I would also say that is because her best stories are quite extraordinary, and here her hands are a little tied by the very nature of what she set out to do.
There could be no finer tribute to William Farthing and the cats of Spain Hall.
This is a collection of short stories like no other, I loved it, and I suspect that those who live with cats and love fine writing might love it even more.
It had that interesting title, a very lengthy introduction, and then a generous helping of short pieces with enticing titles.
The introduction is the author’s account of her visit to a lovely house in the country, occupied by a handsome young man and a great many cats. She spoke to the cats that she encountered, and she was scolded by the young man when she had to admit that she understood cat rather better than she spoke it.
He told her that she should learn it properly, that there was no reason why she shouldn’t be fluent. And then he told her his own story, how he came to the house, how his relationship with the many cats who lived there had blossomed, and how he had decided to devote his life to studying and understanding the cultural history of cats.
His greatest discovery was that cats were storytellers; that stories were passed down through the generations, shared between fellow travellers, and might be told to anyone who might care to listen.
“Good heavens, what trouble people will put themselves to in order to avoid a simple conclusion! Do try to be reasonable! For ages the languages of men have kept them apart. For ages the Cat language has been catholic, explicit, unvarying. I understand it, you understand it, every child picks up an inkling of it. When cats creep into children’s cradles and old women say that they are sucking the child’s breath, what do you suppose they are doing? Keeping them quiet with a story – and better than their mothers can!”
He hoped that the stories would be published, that his work would be not an end but a beginning of a whole new academic field. The stories would be published, but he would not live to see it, because the lives of all those who lived at that lovely house in the country were lost in a terrible tragedy.
It was so lucky that he had given copies of some of the stories to his visitor, and that she was able to have then published with her introduction and a simple explanatory note.
“The following stories are chosen from the collection of traditional narratives current among cats, made by the late Mr William Farthing of Spain Hall, Norfolk. The selection is the editior’s.”
Those stories are everything you might expect from cats who have travelled, cats who have observed the world around them and other more foolish creatures. The perspective is wonderfully feline, and though it took me a little while to adjust to a very different worldview I am so glad that I did.
I saw that cats must have walked alongside mediaeval troubadors, that at least one cat must have been looking over Aesop’s shoulder, and that Perrault and other great tellers of fairy tales much have had feline companions.
They are also everything you might hope for from Sylvia Townsend Warner. There is lovely use of language, there is wit, and there is usually more than a simple story. You could skate over the surface of most of these stories, reading them as simple fables or as clever tales, but if you stop and think there is often much more to mull over. A clever allegory, an echo of bigger story, a lesson that human’s would do well to learn.
I’m sure that her cats must have been very proud of her.
It’s difficult to pick favourites, each tale had its own merits, but I must pick out a few.
‘The Fox Pope’ is a lovely fable that tells of a fox who tries to learn from other animals, who tries to retire and live as a hermit, but who finds he cannot escape from the world expectations of what a fox should be. And that maybe he cannot escape from his own nature.
‘The Magpie Charity’ is a clever account of crows who become trustees of a magpie’s estate and must decide which starving cats are deserving of their charity.
‘The Phoenix Nest’ is a story with a moral that sees the rarest of birds fall into the hands of the proprietor of a ‘Wizard Wonderland’ who failed to appreciate him because he would rather sleep than show off, and who would learn that a little knowledge was a dangerous thing..
‘The Two Mothers’ is a short and moving account of how bereaved mothers of two very different species see that role; and if that isn’t a very fine allegory I don’t know what is.
If you were to ask me of these are Sylvia Townsend Warner’s best short stories I would have to say no, and note that none of them made it into the thick Virago volume of selected short stories.
But I would also say that is because her best stories are quite extraordinary, and here her hands are a little tied by the very nature of what she set out to do.
There could be no finer tribute to William Farthing and the cats of Spain Hall.
This is a collection of short stories like no other, I loved it, and I suspect that those who live with cats and love fine writing might love it even more.
May 14, 2018
The premise essentially is to tell us the stories, that have been passed down from cats to their kittens for generations. Fairy-tales from cats, giving us, an unusual cat’s eye view of the world. It isn’t a perspective we are used to – and the cynical reader may need to suspend belief and just enjoy the ride. These stories are joyfully different, tapping into our long-held love of traditional stories.
“For ages the Cat language has been catholic, explicit, unvarying. I understand it, you understand it, every child picks up an inkling of it. When cats creep into children’s cradles and old women say that they are sucking the child’s breath, what do you suppose they are doing? Keeping them quiet with a story – and better than their mothers can!”
It is a shame that this collection remains out of print, although this pretty 1960s edition of a collection first published in 1940 seems widely available from the usual places, a perfect gift for a fairy-tale loving cat person. A little warning though cat lovers, a few of the cats in this book don’t survive – but you would probably expect that.
The collection begins with an introduction from the editor of these special tales. This forty-four page ‘introduction’ was my favourite part of the whole book, in which STW describes perfectly, a house, its feline inhabitants in fine and glorious prose. The ‘editor’ comes upon a house, nestled deep in the countryside, here she meets a particularly handsome man, living alongside many cats and kittens. The young man is astounded to find the author can understand the language of cat – far better than she can speak it. The cats have plenty to tell her, introducing her to their kittens, they rub against her in welcome. Our narrator stays to tea, and the remarkably handsome young man begins to tell his own story. Having finished Oxford, the young man embarked upon a diplomatic career, while in Turkey he fell hopelessly in love; with a Siamese cat called Haru. Look, these things happen! Haru is technically the property of the naval attaché’s wife, though Haru soon makes her feelings perfectly clear. Haru captivates the young man; William with her stories. The young man is destined for heartbreak, and thereafter dedicates himself to re-telling the traditional stories of cats.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2018/...
“For ages the Cat language has been catholic, explicit, unvarying. I understand it, you understand it, every child picks up an inkling of it. When cats creep into children’s cradles and old women say that they are sucking the child’s breath, what do you suppose they are doing? Keeping them quiet with a story – and better than their mothers can!”
It is a shame that this collection remains out of print, although this pretty 1960s edition of a collection first published in 1940 seems widely available from the usual places, a perfect gift for a fairy-tale loving cat person. A little warning though cat lovers, a few of the cats in this book don’t survive – but you would probably expect that.
The collection begins with an introduction from the editor of these special tales. This forty-four page ‘introduction’ was my favourite part of the whole book, in which STW describes perfectly, a house, its feline inhabitants in fine and glorious prose. The ‘editor’ comes upon a house, nestled deep in the countryside, here she meets a particularly handsome man, living alongside many cats and kittens. The young man is astounded to find the author can understand the language of cat – far better than she can speak it. The cats have plenty to tell her, introducing her to their kittens, they rub against her in welcome. Our narrator stays to tea, and the remarkably handsome young man begins to tell his own story. Having finished Oxford, the young man embarked upon a diplomatic career, while in Turkey he fell hopelessly in love; with a Siamese cat called Haru. Look, these things happen! Haru is technically the property of the naval attaché’s wife, though Haru soon makes her feelings perfectly clear. Haru captivates the young man; William with her stories. The young man is destined for heartbreak, and thereafter dedicates himself to re-telling the traditional stories of cats.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2018/...
August 14, 2026
从intro就营造了一种梦幻的神秘气息，能和猫咪进行交流的我，意外结识了庄园的主人。从他那里听到了猫咪们世代流传的故事，不同地区、不同品种的猫共享着某种跨越地域与时代的记忆与传承，故事的基本内容大致相同，却又因为流传而产生细微的版本差异。
猫咪们陪伴在人类身边，观察着人类，也将这些故事一代代讲给猫咪听。人类知识偶然获得了进入另一套叙事的机会。开篇的毒舌渡鸦就很犀利，神俯视人类，而渡鸦们旁观一切。在人类与神看来伟大的战役，令人崇拜的英雄，不过都是腐肉，等待被啄食的食物。而惨烈的战役发生在哪个季节，也不过是好下口与否。
其他种族的动物们与人类产生交集，它们或是享有被世界推崇的美德，或是在故事里以人类的情感进行跨越种族的交流……都让我想起小时候睡前奶奶讲给我的那些民俗寓言故事。但STW的故事更犀利深刻，且没有教化的意味。被人类苛待以加速衰老，从而制造涅槃奇观的凤凰，在大火里烧毁了一切，包括围观的人类。那场人与猫咪的故事交流，只让人感慨人类是多么善变薄情……竟如此对待辛苦打猎反哺人类的小猫。
非常喜欢，就是有点遗憾，如果加一个和intro能呼应的结尾就好了……虽然intro里面也写了，但是很残忍的毁灭，就好像人类一旦触到某些东西，它就会恒久消失，没有人再会相信，只有这些仅存的难以被证实的记录
猫咪们陪伴在人类身边，观察着人类，也将这些故事一代代讲给猫咪听。人类知识偶然获得了进入另一套叙事的机会。开篇的毒舌渡鸦就很犀利，神俯视人类，而渡鸦们旁观一切。在人类与神看来伟大的战役，令人崇拜的英雄，不过都是腐肉，等待被啄食的食物。而惨烈的战役发生在哪个季节，也不过是好下口与否。
其他种族的动物们与人类产生交集，它们或是享有被世界推崇的美德，或是在故事里以人类的情感进行跨越种族的交流……都让我想起小时候睡前奶奶讲给我的那些民俗寓言故事。但STW的故事更犀利深刻，且没有教化的意味。被人类苛待以加速衰老，从而制造涅槃奇观的凤凰，在大火里烧毁了一切，包括围观的人类。那场人与猫咪的故事交流，只让人感慨人类是多么善变薄情……竟如此对待辛苦打猎反哺人类的小猫。
非常喜欢，就是有点遗憾，如果加一个和intro能呼应的结尾就好了……虽然intro里面也写了，但是很残忍的毁灭，就好像人类一旦触到某些东西，它就会恒久消失，没有人再会相信，只有这些仅存的难以被证实的记录
December 7, 2019
This short story was among the related readings of the book FAHRENHEIT 451. It explained the legend of the Phoenix and then brought the phoenix to life in a story. Lord Strawberry brought the phoenix back from Arabia for his aviary. The bird was an asset for his aviary. When he died, the phoenix was sold to a Mr. Poldero, owner of the WIZARD WONDERWORLD. Unfortunately, the phoenix was not earning his keep and so Poldero decided to age the phoenix so that it could live up to the legend of the phoenix. When the phoenix did, it surprised the whole audience.
September 9, 2019
Very curious premiss and very curious tales! (I must have had this book for many, many years, so it's good to have finally read it.)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews