Books
Old Toffer’s Book of Consequential Dogs
By Christopher Reid. Drawings by Elliot Elam(ALLEN & UNWIN)March• 2019 | 131RD Recommends
F
inally, long-awaited literary retribution for
anyone who is a ‘dog person’. This gorgeous
hardcover book of poems is inspired by and
pays direct homage to the literary giant T.S. Eliot’s
1939 favourite Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,
which inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats.
Eighty years later, here is a gorgeously illustrated
companion collection of poems about dogs with titles
such as ‘A Wagtail Sonnet’, ‘The Naming of Dogs’,
‘Frazzlesprat’ and ‘Fill Your Home with Happy
Hounds’. It’s a delightful keepsake gift for anyone who
thinks pooches are man’s (and woman’s) best friend.COMPILED BY KATHY BUCHANAN