The Tobermory Cat

Debi Gliori's delightful The Tobermory Cat was one of the most popular children's books of 2012. Based on a real cat known to local inhabitants as well as thousands of visitors to Mull, the island's ginger tom and his extraordinary antics have now become world famous. Young children will love this counting book in which the Tobermory Cat wakes up hungry and explores the town in search of something to eat.

Tobermory is a short story by Saki. Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 - 13 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki, and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirised Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story and often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. Influenced by Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Kipling, he himself influenced A. A. Milne, Nol Coward, and P. G. Wodehouse.Beside his short stories (which were first published in newspapers, as was customary at the time, and then collected into several volumes), he wrote a full-length play, The Watched Pot, in collaboration with Charles Maude; two one-act plays; a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire, the only book published under his own name; a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington; the episodic The Westminster Alice (a Parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland), and When William Came, subtitled A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns, a fantasy about a future German invasion of Britain.

Nineteen brilliant stories from the satirical master about talking cats, fearsome ferrets, and absurd humans . . . At a country house party, Cornelius Appin announces that he has discovered a method by which animals can be taught to speak. His latest pupil is none other than Tobermory, the ginger cat belonging to his hosts, Sir Wilfred and Lady Blemley. As the guests express astonishment and incredulity, Sir Wilfred goes off to find Tobermory, who is lounging in the smoking room waiting for his tea. What Appin claims is true, and Tobermory demonstrates his remarkable talents—with unanticipated results. With this and other witty, imaginative, and insightful stories, this collection is a delight that captures the foibles of society in Edwardian England, yet remains entertainingly timeless in its portraits of human (and animal) nature.

Saki’s Cats rounds up the tales about cats, big and small, by the undisputed master of the short story. ‘Tobermory’, one of Saki’s most famous pieces, demonstrates the danger that would ensue from granting cats the power of speech – animals have long lurked unseen, eavesdropping, in the background. The tom in ‘The Philanthropist and the Happy Cat’ is the only one to enjoy his meal, as is the leopard in ‘The Guests’. In ‘The Penance’ and ‘Mrs Packletide’s Tiger’, hunters who put cats in their sights are humiliated and blackmailed. ‘The Achievement of the Cat’ considers how cats have come to be served by the human race. In addition to the short stories about cats, Saki’s Cats also collects Saki’s juvenile letters to his sister Ethel about the tiger cub he adopted while living in Burma. The feisty felines of these tales are the only clear winners, and, with a characteristic smirk and dash of his pen, it is Edwardian Society that Saki sends slinking off, tail between its legs. 'His stories and novels appear as delightful and […] sophisticated as they did when he first published them.' Noël Coward

With work by 150 writers and artists, The Book of Cats is the most comprehensive cat anthology published. It is extravagantly illustrated with over a hundred pictures, 16 in full colour.The Book of Cats includes:P.G. Wodehouse's Webster, Saki's Tobermory, Kipling's Cat that Walked by himself, T.S. Eliot's Macavity and Growltiger, Christopher Smart's cat Jeoffrey, and Don Marquis's mehitabel.The cat classics of Walter de la Mare, W.W. Jacobs and Edgar Allan Poe.Catty stories from Patricia Highsmith and Jean-Paul Sartre.Cat tales by Ted Hughes, Paul Gallico and Giles Gordon.The cats of Robert Southey, Théophile Gauthier andFeline thoughts by Aldous Huxley, Henry Fielding and Mark Twain.Cat poems by Robert Graves, Marianne Moore, Dorothy L. Sayers, Thomas Gray and Alan Sillitoe.Pussycat rhymes by Ogden Nash, Stevie Smith and Roger McGough.Cat paintings by Bonnard, Chagall, Lucien Freud, Gainsborough, Hockney, Gwen John, Paul Klee and Douanier Rousseau.In all, a rich, affectionate medley of prose, poetry and picture in praise of that most elusive and fascinating of creatures - the cat.

Story-time will be eagerly anticipated when you read this wonderful lullaby picture book, populated with a rich cast of animals, from rabbits and bears to owls and seals, as every parent and child prepares for a safe night's sleep. With boundless energy, the text takes a ride through a night-time of possibilities as stormy weather assails the characters. Each fearful moment is calmly laid aside with warm cuddles and sweet caresses of reassurance. Combining soothing text that gently addresses bedtime fears with adorable art that will be familiar to Debi's many fans, this picture book will become a firm family favourite along with hot milk and bedtime kisses. Brilliantly read by Amelia Fox. Please note that audio is not supported by all devices, please consult your user manual for confirmation.

This early work by H. H. Munro was originally published in 1911 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The Chronicles of Clovis' is a collection of short stories, including 'The Great Weep', 'Tobermory', 'Adrian', and many more. Hector Hugh Munro was born in Akyab, Burma in 1870. He was raised by aunts in North Devon, England, before returning to Burma in his early twenties to join the Colonial Burmese Military Police. Later, Munro returned once more to England, where he embarked on his career as a journalist, becoming well-known for his satirical ‘Alice in Westminster’ political sketches, which appeared in the Westminster Gazette. Arguably better-remembered by his pen name, ‘Saki’, Munro is now considered a master of the short story, with tales such as ‘The Open Window’ regarded as examples of the form at its finest.

An ideal gift consisting of Debi Gliori's bestselling The Tobermory Cat in its entirety.