The History of Whittington and his cat. New and Improved Series, No. 43.
Files
Title
The History of Whittington and his cat. New and Improved Series, No. 43.
Alternative Title
New and Improved Series, No. 43.
Publisher
Glasgow: Printed for the Booksellers
Date
1852
Extent
24 pages
15 cm
Identifier
Description
Price One Penny
Advertisment for other titles in this and other series on p. 24.
Abstract
Part of a series of folk and fairy tales printed by the booksellers. A folk tale from London, this story details the rise of Richard Whittington, a historical figure, from friendless orphan to successful businessman, mayor, and knight in London during the reign of Edward III. After making his way to London as a boy, Whittington is taken in by a silk merchant and his family as a servant boy. Whittington saves his money to buy a cat who becomes his best friend and ultimately the secret of his success when, in a serendipitous sequence of events, the cat and her kittens are traded as mousers to a king and queen in Africa in exchange for a vast amount of wealth. The noble and generous spirit of Whittington allows him to capitalize on this wealth and ultimately achieve every desire of wealth, influence, and happiness.
Wikipedia Entry: Dick Whittington and His Cat is the name of English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423), wealthy merchant and thrice Lord Mayor of London, telling a story of how he supposedly escaped his poverty-stricken childhood and made his fortune thanks to the ratting abilities of his cat. However, the real Whittington did not come from a poor family of common stock, and there is no compelling evidence supporting the stories about the cat, or even whether he owned one.
Coverage
London, England
Africa
Subject
Chapbooks - Scotland - Glasgow
Fairy Tales & Folklore
Whittington, Dick, 1357?-1423
Source
Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario
Is Referenced By
Format
JPEGs and PDF derived from master file, which was scanned from the original book in 24-bit color at 600 dpi in TIFF format using an Epson Expression 10000XL scanner.
Rights
In the public domain; For high quality reproductions, contact Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. libaspc@uoguelph.ca, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53413
Contributor
Archival and Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Citation
“The History of Whittington and his cat.New and Improved Series, No. 43.,” Scottish Chapbooks, accessed November 7, 2024, https://scottishchapbooks.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/show/724.
