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Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats  By  cover art

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats

By: T. S. Eliot
Narrated by: Miranda Richardson
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Publisher's summary

A delightful new recording of T. S. Eliot's beloved cat poems. Cats! Some are sane, some are mad and some are good and some are bad.

Meet magical Mr. Mistoffelees, sleepy Old Deuteronomy and curious Rum Tum Tugger. But you'll be lucky to meet Macavity because Macavity's not there!

In 1925, T. S. Eliot became codirector of Faber & Faber, who remain his publishers to this day. Throughout the 1930s he composed the now famous poems about Macavity, Old Deuteronomy, Mr. Mistoffelees and many other cats, under the name of 'Old Possum'.

In 1981, Eliot's poems were set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber as Cats, which went on to become the longest-running Broadway musical in history.

Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St Louis, Missouri, in 1888. He came to England in 1914 and published his first book of poems in 1917. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. Eliot died in 1965.

©1939 T. S. Eliot (P)2011 Faber Audio

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What listeners say about Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats

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Beautifully done!

A beloved book, a beautiful reading. I just sat down to listen with my eyes closed and, from time to time, an Edward Gorey drawing would come to mind.
Cat lovers everywhere should give it a listen.

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6 people found this helpful

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It is Okay

The book itself is good but it doesn’t have all of the poems in it of the practical cats as in Macavity Me.Mistofolees

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3 people found this helpful

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Catfully delightful!

I have not one negative thing to say about this piece TS Eliot did a great job writing it. Miranda Richardson was perfect to read it and the story is unique, universal, and heartwarming. On top of all that it gives children of this age something to strive for in the realm of vocabulary. A treasure for all time.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great to Listen to!

I love T.S. Eliot and this is one of his most underrated poetry books. The narration was on point and grasped the spirit of each cat fully.

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2 people found this helpful

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a real pleasure.

both in book or musical it is worth its applause. their if some people that do not look at the talent.

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1 person found this helpful

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I just love those cats

I have always enjoyed this book and Miranda Richardson's reading was magnificent.. all together irresistible.

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Love this book 💖

I'm so glad I've got this book in my library. I've listened to it a lot, as it's not only a good story, it's relaxing. My 6 year old granddaughter loves it also.

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Delightful

While the movie may have fallen short of expectations, Miranda Richardson's reading of T.S. Eliot's classic really delivers! I smiled throughout the reading and felt like a kid again. I loved it

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such a pleasant surprise!

The narrator was spectacular. the poems were so enjoyable. I was afraid this was going to be boring, but a good friend insisted I read it. She was right! I plan to listen to it again and again.

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A fun book read by a terrific narrator.

I knew of this book but had never read it. It is now one of my all-time favorites! I can’t think of any other book that has made me smile and laugh as much as this one. The narrator is fantastic, bringing out the uniqueness of each character.

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