Roger A. Caras

A collection of writing about dogs from both American and English fiction and nonfiction, prose, and poetry including O. Henry's "Memoirs of a Yellow Dog," Rudyard Kipling's "The Power of the Dog," and Stephen Collins Foster's "Old Dog Tray."

In this patented puppy tell-all, Roger Caras will enlighten, edify, and amuse you with the inside scoop that only he can provide on what really goes on behind the scenes of dog shows. He gives a brief history of how, without knowledge of genetics, ancient people first selectively bred dogs from wolves. He goes on to explain which factors are utilitarian and which are purely aesthetic and how these figure in judging a dog today. He then describes how dog shows have evolved, how winners are selected, the immense amount of preparation that goes into grooming a show dog, what constitutes a champion, and the most important factor in a dog show: politics. Peppered with photographs of champion dogs and dog shows from around the country, and filled with charming anecdotes about dogs who have made it to the top and those who have been left at the bottom of the doggy pile, Going for the Blue is a book that will appeal to dog lovers everywhere.

What would today's world be like if man had not domesticated animals? This is the question that celebrated animal expert Roger Caras explores in A Perfect Harmony. A fascinating and colorful combination of history, anthropology, and personal experience, the book examines animal species both familiar and exotic in order to illustrate their monumental impact on the development of civilization. Accessible, absorbing, and wonderfully appealing, A Perfect Harmony illuminates a vital but virtually ignored aspect of human history: the partnership between man and domestic animals through the ages. At the dawn of civilization, Caras asserts, man alone was unable to take the giant steps necessary to achieve our current levels of technology and sophistication. But at each stage in our cultural evolution, he writes, domesticated animals enabled us to move on to the next level. The extent of our dependence upon these animals -- which have provided us with food, clothes, shelter, and means of transport -- is beyond calculation. By turns wicked and wry, passionate and poignant, Caras illustrates how every domesticated animal from the reindeer to the silkworm has provided some valuable service to its human masters and has, in many cases, altered the course of history. - Jacket flap.

Pati just knows the rumours are true - there is a West Country panther. Now she and SImon are setting out to track it. They're confident of their survival skills, but as they are drawn deeper and deeper on to the moors, they have to ask - what will happen when they find it? Suggested level: primary.

A horse's tale / Mark Twain -- The flight of the horse / Larry Niven -- Mr. Travers's first hunt / Richard Harding Davis -- Levant / Hugh Johnson -- The man-killer / George Pattullo -- Skyrocket and the blue stuff / Cloudesley Johns -- The Maltese cat / Rudyard Kipling -- Treading down the herd's-grass /Charles A. Stephens -- A mistake in identity / Shelly Rider Meyer -- [Silver blaze]( / Arthur Conan Doyle -- The doctor's horse / Mary Wilkins Freeman -- The Old Jim horse / J. Lincoln Steffens -- In front of the stampede / Alvah Milton Kerr -- Over the jumps / Alfred Stoddart -- The cumbersome horse / H.C Bunner -- Pete, the Circassian horse / Ellis Parker Butler -- The tale of a cayuse / F.R.Weir -- Skipper / Sewell Ford -- The black roan of 265 / A.W.Rolker -- The man who could not lose / Richard Harding Davis -- The horses of Bostil's Ford / Zane Grey -- Carved in sand / Erle Stanley Gardner -- The winged foal / Deborah Moulton -- The kidnap of Bounding Mane / James Powell -- Shadow quest / William F. Nolan -- The trap / Clay Fisher -- Miniature / Max Brand.

The cats of Thistle Hill are the ten-plus cats who live with Roger Caras and his family on their farm in Maryland. In this up close and personal visit to his farm, Roger Caras introduces his feline companions – including such memorable figures as Teddy, who holds court in Caras’s house; Marmalade, intent on sampling everything life has to offer; and Siafu, “the handsomest part-time barn cat anyone ever saw” – and the dogs, horses, cows, and even a llama with whom they share a “mostly peaceable kingdom.” As he recounts the life story of each cat, detailing its preferences and its peccadilloes, Caras lets us in on the truth about what cats need and what we can expect from them – and reminds us of the many rewards of bridging the gap between species.

Through a winning combination of biology, psychology, and personal anecdotes, renowned wildlife authority Roger Caras shows us how cats view the world around them and the people in it. He offers insights into the secret of catnip, the mystery of cats' iridescent eyes, and the true meaning of a purr. He explains cat vocabulary (nine consonants, five vowels) and the startling phenomenon of psi-trailing (a cat's ability to find its way home even after being transported miles away). He intro- duces us to the fascinating felines in his own life, helping us to see how they select people and homes to adopt. Beautifully illustrated with photographs and drawings, A Cat Is Watching will charm every cat lover, cat watcher, and cat person.

Contains: The cat that walked by himself / Rudyard Kipling -- The cat by the fire / Leigh Hunt -- The white cat / W.W. Jacobs -- [The black cat]( / Edgar Allan Poe -- Cats / Philip Gilbert Hamerton -- The cat / Mary E. Wilkins Freeman -- Calvin, the cat / Charles Dudley Warner -- Ye marvelous legend of Tom Connor's cat / Samuel Lover -- Dick Baker's cat / Mark Twain -- The conscientious cat / Agnes A. Sandham -- He wrote to the rats / Julian Ralph -- The philanthropist and the happy cat ; Tobermory / Saki -- Midshipman, the cat / John Coleman Adams -- A black affair / W.W. Jacobs -- "When in doubt--wash!" ; Jennie's lessons to Peter on how to behave like a cat / Paul Gallico -- The witch's cat / Manly Wade Wellman -- A feline felony / Lael J. Littke -- The Cyprian cat / Dorothy L. Sayers -- Novice / James H. Schmitz -- The fat cat / Q. Patrick -- My father, the cat / Henry Slesar -- The sin of Madame Phloi / Lilian Jackson Braun -- The king of the cats / Stephen Vincent Benét -- The game of rat and dragon / Cordwainer Smith -- Podolo / L.P. Hartley -- Space-time for springers / Fritz Leiber -- Spooner / Eleanor Farjeon -- The story of Webster / P.G. Wodehouse -- Out of place / Pamela Sargent -- Cat nipped / Jack Schaefer -- The cat who lived in a drainpipe / Joan Aiken -- Some are born cats / Terry and Carol Carr -- Autumn : the garden of stubborn cats / Italo Calvino.

Good boy / Jane M. Lindskold -- The oracle of the dog / G.K. Chesterton -- Red dog / Rudyard Kipling -- Pelt / Carol Emshwiller -- The dachshund / Mark Twain -- Kerfol / Edith Wharton -- [Silver Blaze]( / Arthur Conan Doyle -- The coon dog / Sarah Orne Jewett -- Deaths of distant friends / John Updike -- Lucifer and Hey-You / James Michener -- The last of the Winnebagos / Connie Willis -- Strange meets Matilda Jean / Patrick F. McManus -- Dogs / Ring Lardner -- Coyote and Quarter Moon / Bill Pronzini and Jeffrey Wallmann -- The law of club and fang / Jack London -- Josephine has her day / James Thurber -- The last dog / Mike Resnick -- A mess of skunks / Farley Mowat -- Dispatching Bootsie / Joyce Harrington -- Pat'tidge dog / Jim Kjelgaard -- Louis / Saki -- Winter dog / Alistair Macleod -- The great escape / James Herriot -- A contest fit for a queen / Susan Dunlap -- The pinchbug and the poodle / Mark Twain -- In the doghouse / Orson Scott Card with Jay A. Parry -- Penny and Willie / Bette Pesetsky -- Yellow journalism / Dave Barry -- Dog's lives / Michael Bishop -- Shaggy dog / Margaret Maron -- Like cats and dogs / Roger Caras

The life story of an African lion from birth to death, as he is initiated into a world of predators, perils, and man. Covers every facet of the lion's daily and seasonal social life and struggle to survive.