The Ship's Cat by Richard Adams

​It was the sad death of Richard Adams that alerted me to this book. As a childhood fan of his work, why had I not heard of this one? Me being a fan of cats and pirates?

Anyway, I found out that this was out of print but managed to get a second-hand copy. Even if the story was rubbish the wonderful illustrations (by Alan Aldridge) would be enough. There was a place on my bookshelf for this!

It is written in verse and set in the Golden Age of piracy during the Elizabethan period. There are references to the Spanish Inquisition and 'Greensleeves' making the poem very authentic (!) There are battles and violence with the spirit of the British bulldog. The Ship's Cat ain't no pussycat. 

There is an old fashioned style to it with the cat being a rather swashbuckling hero. It is an exciting yarn and I wish I had read it as a child because I would have loved it. Actually, I still do.

Published by Random House on 1 December 1977.