King's prize cat climbed a tree and though the king, queen and everbody else asked it to come down, it didn't. then it was decided that get the tree down and the cat cat will come down too. But before the axe touched the tree, a little boy cried that's not the way. Then what is it?

Nick Sharratt's fabulously funny d_but novel, THE CAT AND THE KING, tells the story of a gentle, unworldly King and his very clever cat, and is illustrated throughout in two colours with Nick's irresistible wit and humour. The cat and the King must find a new home after their castle burns down in an Unfortunate Incident with a dragon. They choose Number 37 Castle Close, and the cat introduces the King to all sorts of new experiences, from washing-up to shopping. Then danger looms when the pesky, fire-breathing dragon makes its return.

Follow an epic story of the Viking Age that traces the historical trail of an ancient piece of jewelry found in a Viking grave in England to its origins thousands of miles east in India. An acclaimed bioarchaeologist, Catrine Jarman has used cutting-edge forensic techniques to spark her investigation into the history of the Vikings who came to rest in British soil. By examining teeth that are now over one thousand years old, she can determine childhood diet—and thereby where a person was likely born. With radiocarbon dating, she can ascertain a death-date down to the range of a few years. And her research offers enlightening new visions of the roles of women and children in Viking culture. Three years ago, a Carnelian bead came into her temporary possession. River Kings sees her trace the path of this ancient piece of jewelry back to eighth-century Baghdad and India, discovering along the way that the Vikings’ route was far more varied than we might think—that with them came people from the Middle East, not just Scandinavia, and that the reason for this unexpected integration between the Eastern and Western worlds may well have been a slave trade running through the Silk Road, all the way to Britain. Told as a riveting history of the Vikings and the methods we use to understand them, this is a major reassessment of the fierce, often-mythologized voyagers of the North—and of the global medieval world as we know it.

In the sequel to I & Claudius (Clare de Vries' journey across the USA with her beloved brown Burmese), our heroine travels through Burma and Thailand in search of a replacement for her dearly departed Claudius. In Burma, Clare learns the basic tenets of Buddhism and receives a liberal dousing at the annual Thingyan celebrations, but unfortunately, finds no cats. Instead, she finds nats at Mount Popa, temple-strewn plains in Bagan, and a monastery full of jumping cats in Inle. In Thailand, while veering from nasty dives to luxurious spas, from lecherous cat breeders to ruthless elephant trainers, Clare learns the history of the precious Siamese/Burmese cats and the royals who nurtured them. Finally, she discovers the perfect kittens, hidden in a remote temple. All she has to do is give a donation to the monk who owns them - or so she thinks. Conveyed in Clare de Vries' characteristic witty and lighthearted style, the eye-opening and highly entertaining adventures in Of Cats and Kings will delight travelers and cat lovers alike. Clare de Vries is a freelance journalist and travel writer, and the author of I & Claudius. She lives in London. Praise for I & Claudius: 'Saucy, racy, pleasingly impolite...Think Thelma and Louise, only starring Bridget Jones and Morris the Cat.' - Mademoiselle 'A very enjoyable and unpredictable memoir...Anyone who has ever loved a cat will enjoy this engaging narrative.' - Booklist

Follow along with Mittens as he enjoys hilarious, snark-filled text volleys with his cast of quirky friends and family: Earl (the “filthy hound”), Stumpy (the best friend), Drunky Patty (the usually tipsy next-door neighbor), Grandma (giver of treats), and Fiona (Mitty’s girlfriend). Based on Angie Bailey’s virally popular blog, Texts from Mittens: The Friends and Family Edition is feline humor at its finest.

'Absolutely magical... Always intriguing' Richard Adams author of Watership Down. Behind the realm of man lie the wild roads. Weaving through time and space, these hidden pathways carry the natural energies – the spirits, the dreams – of the world. No creature can slip into the shadows and travel the wild roads better than the cat. For millennia, cats have patrolled the tangled paths, maintaining balance and order, guarding against corruption and chaos. It is dangerous territory: for those who control the wild roads hold the key to the world. Amid the struggle between the purest good and the darkest evil, here are tales of duty and destiny, of courage and comradeship among the extraordinary creatures who brave the wild roads... An ancient legend speaks of a golden cat whose coming will heal the troubled world. But the Queen of Cats has three golden kittens – and when two are stolen away, the distraught parents turn to Tag, the new guardian of magical wild roads, for help. As Tag and his friends embark on their search, they encounter a terrifying, unearthly force – a preternatural vortex threatening the wild roads, tearing at the very fabric of existence. Tag is disastrously unprepared for the powerful darkness that threatens to consume everything in its wake.

In her fascinating exploration of feline history, Georgie Anne Geyer explores the connections between the royal and sacred felines of ancient civilizations and the beloved domestic cats of today. Chasing an irresistible mystery across the globe, Geyer conducts exhaustive research into the little-known puzzle of how cats came to occupy their unique position in the lives of humans. Treated with the tenacity, resourcefulness, and narrative instinct of a seasoned foreign correspondent, the investigation yields unexpected answers and poses tantalizing new questions. It was Geyer’s curiosity about her own cats that inspired her to study the history of human-feline relations and especially the exalted status of cats among the ancients as royal or sacred beings. In Egypt, Geyer learned of the cat-goddess Bastet and of the cat’s role in the transmigration of souls. In Myanmar she saw Leonardo DiCaprio, Ricky Martin, and the other incongruously named cats of the Nga Phe Kyaung monastery, trained by the monks to jump through hoops. She even met a family who dutifully guards the heritage of the Japanese Bobtail, cultivating the line in—of all places—rural Virginia. Richly illustrated with photographs of Geyer’s journeys and historical cat images, When Cats Reigned Like Kings describes forty-one recognized modern cat breeds plus other popular cats. Every cat lover can, thus, trace his or her cat to these breeds and their many relatives. The result is a remarkable book, bound to delight and amaze cat fanciers and adventure seekers.