“The owl and the pussy cat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat.  They took some honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five pound note…”

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The owl and the pussycat?!  No, not the owl and the pussy cat songs by Katy Perry, Donovan or KIDiddles.  It is the famous children’s poem (and cat!) created by Edward Lear back in 1871.

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Drawing:Britannica

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The Owl and the Pussy-Cat and poet Edward Lear will be featured in the upcoming special exhibition of Famous Cats in Literature entitled, “Cats on the Page”…

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“An 1879 letter by Lear featuring hand-drawn doodles of his cat Foss will be included in the exhibition, as well as a copy of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there. The edition was owned by the author and includes his disgruntled notes about the illustration of Alice’s kitten…(source)

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Featured in the exhibition will be T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (on its 80th anniversary) as well as numerous other Kit Lit celebs.  There will also be a number of never before exhibited books and artwork at the exhibition.

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This is a free exhibition.  Cats on the Page will run at the British Library from November 23 – March 17 2019. To read the detailed write-up about Cats on the Page go here and for more information about hours and other pertinent visitors details, go here:  bl.uk