Parlour Cats

Reproduction of the original: Cats by W. Gordon Stables

A unique and compelling exploration of why humans need animal companions -- from dogs and cats to horses, birds, and reptiles -- through the eyes of a New York Times bestselling historical detective author. In The Animal's Companion, the acclaimed social anthropologist and author of Red: A History of the Redhead turns her keen eye for cultural investigation toward uncovering why humans have such a strong desire to share everyday life with pets. It's a history that can be traced back to a cave in France where anthropologists discovered evidence of a boy and his dog taking a walk together -- 26,000 years ago. From those preserved foot and paw prints, Jacky Colliss Harvey draws on literary, artistic, and archaeological evidence to sweep readers through centuries and across continents to examine how our relationships with our pets have developed, but also stayed very much the same. Through delightful stories of the most famous, endearing, and sometimes eccentric pet owners throughout history, Colliss Harvey examines the when, the how, and the why of our connection to the animals we take into our lives, and suggests fascinating new insights into one of the most long-standing of all human love affairs.

A story of the cats of a small village at around the time when Queen Victoria was a little girl. Their ruler, Broomrider, believes he can restore the ancient magical powers of cats. The army commander, Hagshadow, is more practical and trains the cats to fight when the village is attacked by the Rats from the East, while Spellbinder, the female leader, has a gift of healing and is a peacemaker. Most cats are loyal followers of Broomrider but he has opponents, especially Juno, the attractive young newcomer who scoffs at the limits he sets for the females. Her power of attraction inspires devotion yet creates conflict in the village. The story tells how cats balance their domestic lives and their secret, free adventures. As the ever-perceptive Miss Braithwaite says, ""One must never pry into the private life of a cat.""

Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) was the author of world famous books for children - the tales of fantastical adventures, journeys back in time and travel to magical worlds. Nesbit also wrote for adults, including novels, short stories and four collections of horror stories. Content: The Bastable Trilogy The Story of the Treasure Seekers The Wouldbegoods The New Treasure Seekers The Psammead Trilogy Five Children and It The Phoenix and the Carpet The Story of the Amulet The Mouldiwarp Chronicles The House of Arden Harding's Luck Other Children's Novels The Railway Children The Enchanted Castle The Magic City The Wonderful Garden Wet Magic Other Novels The Red House The Incomplete Amorist Salome and the Head (The House With No Address) Daphne in Fitzroy Street Dormant aka Rose Royal The Incredible Honeymoon The Lark Short Story Collections The Book of Dragons: The Book of Beasts Uncle James, or The Purple Stranger The Deliverers of Their Country The Ice Dragon, or Do as You Are Told The Island of the Nine Whirlpools The Dragon Tamers The Fiery Dragon, or The Heart of Stone and the Heart of Gold Kind Little Edmund, or The Caves and the Cockatrice The Magic World: The Cat-hood of Maurice The Mixed Mine Accidental Magic The Princess and the Hedge-pig Septimus Septimusson The White Cat Belinda and Bellamant Justnowland The Related Muff The Magician's Heart Royal Children of English History Pussy and Doggy Tales Nine Unlikely Tales Oswald Bastable and Others Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare Grim Tales In Homespun The Literary Sense Man and Maid These Little Ones Collected Short Stories Poetry Collections Lays and Legends All Round the Year Landscape and Song Songs of Love and Empire The Rainbow and the Rose Many Voices Other Works ...