Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats - wikipedia Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats First edition cover Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats ( 1939 ) is a collection of whimsical poems by T.S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It is the basis for the musical Cats. Eliot wrote the poems in the 1930s, and included them, under his assumed name `` Old Possum '', in letters to his godchildren. They were collected and published in 1939, with cover illustrations by the author, and quickly re-published in 1940, illustrated in full by Nicolas Bentley. They have also been published in versions illustrated by Edward Gorey ( 1982 ) and Axel Scheffler ( 2009 ). Contents 1 Contents 2 Adaptations 3 Cultural references 4 Comparable work 5 References 6 External links Contents The contents of Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats, along with the names of the featured cats where appropriate, are : `` The Naming of Cats '' `` The Old Gumbie Cat '' ( Jennyanydots ) `` Growltiger 's Last Stand '' `` The Rum Tum Tugger '' `` The Song of the Jellicles '' `` Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer '' `` Old Deuteronomy '' `` ( Of ) The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles ( Together with Some Account of the Participation of the Pugs and the Poms and the Intervention of the Great Rumpus Cat ) '' `` Mr. Mistoffelees '' `` Macavity : The Mystery Cat '' `` Gus : The Theatre Cat '' `` Bustopher Jones : The Cat about Town '' `` Skimbleshanks : The Railway Cat '' `` The Ad - dressing of Cats '' `` Cat Morgan Introduces Himself '' ( added in the 1952 edition ) Adaptations In 1954 the English composer Alan Rawsthorne set six of the poems in a work for speaker and orchestra entitled Practical Cats, which was recorded soon afterwards, with the actor Robert Donat as the speaker. At about the same time another English composer, Humphrey Searle, composed another narrated piece based on the poems, using flute, piccolo, cello and guitar. This work, Two Practical Cats, consists of settings of the poems about Macavity and Growltiger. The best - known musical adaptation of the poems is Andrew Lloyd Webber 's musical Cats, which was premiered in the West End of London in 1981 and on Broadway in 1982. It became the longest - running Broadway show in history until it was overtaken by another musical by Lloyd Webber, The Phantom of the Opera, and then by Chicago by Kander and Ebb. As well as the poems in this volume, the musical introduces several additional characters from Eliot 's unpublished drafts, most notably Grizabella. Cultural references In the film Logan 's Run Logan and Jessica meet an old man in the ruins of the United States Senate Chamber during their search for Sanctuary. The Old Man has many cats and refers to the poem `` The Naming of Cats '', explaining that each cat has three names : one common, one fancy and one that only the cat knows. Later the Old Man refers to one cat in particular, `` Gus '', short for `` Asparagus '', and goes on to recite parts of `` Macavity : the Mystery Cat ''. Comparable work On June 5, 2009, The Times revealed that in 1937 Eliot had composed a 34 - line poem entitled `` Cows '' for the children of Frank Morley, a friend who, like Eliot, was a director of the publishing company Faber and Faber. Morley 's daughter, Susanna Smithson, uncovered the poem as part of the BBC Two programme Arena : T.S. Eliot, broadcast that night as part of the BBC Poetry Season. References Jump up ^ Unpublished Poem by T.S. Eliot Reveals his Dislike for Cows at timesonline.co.uk Jump up ^ Arena : TS Eliot -- Cows, unpublished poem, revealed at bbc.co.uk T.S. Eliot ( 1982 ). Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats. Harcourt. ISBN 0 - 15 - 168656 - 4. Larsen, Janet Karsten ( 1982 ) `` Eliot 's Cats Come Out Tonight '', Christian Century. May 5, 1982, p. 534. External links Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats at Faded Page ( Canada ) T.S. Eliot Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats at the British Library Cats at AndrewLloydWebber.com T.S. Eliot Bibliography Early poems `` The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock '' `` Portrait of a Lady '' `` Preludes '' `` Whispers of Immortality '' `` Gerontion '' The Waste Land `` The Hollow Men '' Ash Wednesday Ariel Poems Journey of the Magi A Song for Simeon Later poems Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats `` Bustopher Jones '' `` Gus : The Theatre Cat '' `` Growltiger 's Last Stand '' Burnt Norton East Coker The Dry Salvages Little Gidding Four Quartets Plays Sweeney Agonistes The Rock Murder in the Cathedral The Family Reunion The Cocktail Party The Confidential Clerk The Elder Statesman Prose Selected Essays, 1917 - 1932 `` Hamlet and His Problems '' `` Tradition and the Individual Talent '' The Sacred Wood A Choice of Kipling 's Verse ( 1941 ) `` The Frontiers of Criticism '' Adaptations CATS ( 1981 musical, 1998 film ) Publishing The Criterion Faber and Faber T.S. Eliot Prize T.S. Eliot Prize ( Truman State University ) Related Tom & Viv ( 1994 film ) People Eliot family Vivienne Haigh - Wood Eliot ( first wife ) Valerie Eliot ( second wife ) Henry Ware Eliot ( father ) Charlotte Champe Stearns ( mother ) William Greenleaf Eliot ( grandfather ) E. Martin Browne John Davy Hayward Ezra Pound Jean Jules Verdenal William Butler Yeats Commons Wikibooks Wikiquote Wikisource texts Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Eliot 's Cats Characters Alonzo Bombalurina Carbucketty Cat Morgan Demeter Electra Etcetera Griddlebone Grizabella Jellylorum Jemima Jennyanydots Macavity Mr. Mistoffelees Mungojerrie Munkustrap Old Deuteronomy Pouncival Rum Tum Tugger Rumpleteazer Rumpus Cat Skimbleshanks Victoria the White Cat Inspiration Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats `` The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles '' `` Bustopher Jones '' `` Growltiger 's Last Stand '' `` Gus : The Theatre Cat '' `` The Naming of Cats '' Adaptations Cats ( film ) Songs `` Memory '' Albums CATS Other Jellicle cats Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats&oldid=786944623 '' Categories : 1939 poems Literature featuring anthropomorphic characters Books about cats Poetry by T.S. Eliot Cats ( musical ) Faber and Faber books Hidden categories : Articles with Project Gutenberg links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español 한국어 Italiano עברית Magyar 日本 語 Русский Simple English Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 22 June 2017, at 14 : 24. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: cats the musical was based on a book of poems by which poet
Answer: T. S. Eliot