Picking up where "The Cat Who Came for Christmas" and "The Cat and the Curmudgeon" left off, this beautiful new paperback edition continues the story of the cat named Polar Bear and his grumpy, lovable owner.

Filled with charming vignettes of the loving relationship between a cranky old man and his recalcitrant cat. Also packed with anecdotes and observations that are vintage Amory - crotchety, fascinating, and wickedly amusing.

With the same sly humor and deep affection that have enchanted readers of Cleveland Amory¿s earlier, best-selling accounts of his adventures with his curmudgeonly cat, Polar Bear, the author here reflects on his life and on the many ways in which it was enriched by fifteen years of his feline friend¿s companionship. This is Amory¿s best book ever -- the witty and wise conclusion to a wonderful love story. ¿Wickedly amusing.¿ Illustrations.

In 1914, a train pulled into a provincial British railway station. The porter, a curious chap, asked the regiment of soldiers where they were from. "Ross-shire," one called down, but the porter heard "Russia." And so began a rumor that led to Germany losing World War I. Often the history we learn at school is only half the story. We hear of heroic deeds and visionary leaders, but we never hear about the people who turned up late for court and thereby changed the law, or who stood in the wrong queue at university and accidentally won a Nobel Prize. "The Great Cat Massacre: A History of Britain in 100 Mistakes" demonstrates that the nation is as much a product of error as design. Through chapters on religion, law, culture, war, science, and politics, it reveals such things as how an edict from Pope Gregory IX helped spread the Black Death, how the sister of cricketer John Willes invented overarm bowling, and how, had a letter not been lost, Disraeli might never have become prime minister. This book is history told through human failings, schoolboy errors, bad luck, and extraordinary consequences; a history of mishearing, misdiagnosis, and misinterpretation a history that you won t find in the textbooks."

Even the best cat in the world doesn't live forever, and Victor is very sad when his beloved cat, Charlie, dies. His mother suggests getting a new cat, but Victor isn't so sure. Finally, when the vet tells Victor she has another cat that really needs a home, Victor agrees to give the new cat a chance. But the new cat, Shelley, isn't like Charlie. She doesn't look like Charlie, or act like Charlie, or like to do the things Charlie used to do. With all these differences, is there any chance that Victor can learn to accept and love Shelley? Leslea Newman's gentle story honors the full range of a child's feelings after losing a favorite pet, while Ron Himler's soft pencil and watercolor illustrations capture Victor's poignant emotions as well as the playful antics of his new kitten.