HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him. Cats have long been considered creatures of mystery and magic. Worshipped as deities in some cultures, feared as harbingers of bad fortune in others, it's little surprise that their enigmatic charm continues to capture our imaginations today. This classic collection of the most beloved cat tales includes Saki's ‘Tobermory’, in which a straight-talking cat leaves dinner guests aghast yet entranced; a Norse fairy tale involving a spectacular feline rescue; ‘The Dragon Tamers’ by E. Nesbit; and H. P. Lovecraft's strange story ‘The Cats of Ulthar’; amongst many others to enjoy for years to come.
This book was another case of ‘judging a book by its cover’ for me and I succumbed to the call of the cat gracing the front cover. This collection features stories on everything feline! Most of them are classics written by familiar names like Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling and E. Nesbit. The stories remind me of the ones in penny dreadfuls, but with less macabre and more..cats.
I loved that the book had a good range of cat stories; from fantasy, to a little bit of history, to the downright horror. Cats mean different things to different people or culture and they are given a distinctive spin in every story. Unsurprisingly, my favorite story was by Poe, of course with his signature horror written all over. However, as is always the case with collection of short stories, the good ones are ‘balanced’ with the not-so-greats. A few of the stories only had slight mentions of cats, which I thought would be best left out of this collection. Here are some of my favorites that I rated 5 stars:
1. The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe 2. Whittington and His Cat 3. The Cats of Ulthar by H.P. Lovecraft 4. The White Cat by E. Nesbit
My standout stories were The Cat That Walked by Himself The Black Cat (Poe was truly f*cked) The Cat Who Could Eat So Much (me too) Kisa The Cat (feet got chopped off lol)
Interesting selection but a lot of the stories weren’t my thing
This has always been my favorite "Just So Story." It is good to see it in an individual book, as it is a little unwieldy as part of a group.
This is the story of how a woman domesticated various animals, yet had to deal on equal terms with the cat. We all know this is true yet it is good to find the origin of this truth.
The pictures add a dimension and do not distract from the words. Rudyard Kipling is a master at this telling.