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Henry David Thoreau is celebrated as one of America's greatest nature writers, yet few readers are aware of the tender, perceptive, and often humorous attention he gave to the animals closest to human domestic life. Bonds of Affection: Thoreau on Dogs and Cats gathers the finest of Thoreau's own writings in which he turns his unflinching powers of observation and his characteristic philosophical wit toward our oldest animal companions.

In these pages, Thoreau emerges not merely as a solitary sojourner in the wild, but as a keen and affectionate chronicler of the relationships between people and the animals who share their lives. Whether tracking the behavior of a neighborhood dog, or meditating on the inscrutable self-possession of a cat, Thoreau reveals the depth of feeling and moral seriousness he believed we owe to all living creatures. His observations are sometimes wry, sometimes lyrical, and always charged with his conviction that an attentive life demands that we see the world through eyes other than our own.

Beautifully complemented by original engravings from celebrated artist Barry Moser and framed by a foreword from bestselling animal author Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, this elegantly produced volume is both a delight for lovers of Thoreau and an essential companion for anyone who has ever shared their home—and their heart—with a dog or a cat.

Published in cooperation with the Thoreau Society, Bonds of Affection introduces readers to a Thoreau who is at once familiar and surprising: playful and profound, grounded in the everyday, and alive to the wonder of the natural and domestic world alike.

Norman R. Shapiro lionizes the feline's limitless allure in this one-of-a-kind collection. Spanning centuries and styles, he draws on she-cats and toms, and an honor roll of French poets, well known and lesser known, who have served as their devoted champions. He reveals the remarkable range of French cat poems, with most works presented here for the first time in English translation. Scrupulously devoted to evoking the meaning and music of the originals, Shapiro also respects the works' formal structures. Pairing Shapiro's translations with Olga Pastuchiv's elegant illustrations, Fe-Lines guides the reader through the marvels and inscrutabilities of the Mystique féline.

A fun, charming romp through the history of seventeen great writers and the cats who captured their hearts.

Throughout history, cats and writers have banded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship, and inspiration. Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them features famous authors ranging from Samuel Johnson whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, to Edward Lear whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Dorothy L. Sayers who rescued her kitten Blitz from a bombsite. Each chapter delves into the relationship between authors and the felines who condescended to share their homes and desks, revealing intriguing aspects of the writers’ lives and celebrating how cats—pure-bred and mixed-breeds, large and small, graceful and eccentric—enriched the world of literature. Including fun additional features on cats in bookshops, libraries, and hotels, and illustrated with charming line drawings, this book is a perfect gift for cat lovers everywhere.