''The Cat Who... '' is a series of twenty-nine

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

novels and three related collections by

Lilian Jackson Braun Lilian Jackson Braun (June 20, 1913June 4, 2011) was an American writer well known for her light-hearted series of ''The Cat Who...'' mystery novels. ''The Cat Who'' books center on the life of (former) newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and h ...

and published by

G. P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and J ...

, featuring a reporter named Jim Qwilleran and his

Siamese cats The Siamese cat ( th, แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Seeaam) is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand ( ...

, Kao K'o-Kung (Koko for short) and Yum Yum. The first was written in 1966, with two more following in 1967 and 1968. The fourth appeared eighteen years later, after which at least one new novel was published every year until 2007. A thirtieth novel, originally announced for 2008, was postponed indefinitely by its publisher and then canceled after the author's death in 2011. It remains unpublished.

Main characters

James Mackintosh Qwilleran, or Qwill as his friends call him, is the main human character in the books. Qwilleran (Qwill to his friends) is a man who goes from late forties to mid fifties over the course of the series. He is often described as looking melancholy or brooding, but he is witty and enjoyable company. His most distinguishing feature is his "luxuriant moustache." "Kao K’o-Kung" is the full name of the

Siamese cat The Siamese cat ( th, แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Seeaam) is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand ( ...

who is almost always referred to as Koko.Braun, Lilian Jackson, ''The Cat Who Could Read Backwards'' (1966). He is named after a 13th-century Chinese artist whose name is usually written in modern

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

as Gao Kegong. He has the appearance of a prize-winning show-cat and an obstinate attitude toward anything he does not like. Yum Yum is also Siamese, and had a troubled past. Yum Yum is named after a character in the opera ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' by Gilbert and Sullivan who is also the ward of a man named Ko-Ko. Yum Yum is described as being smaller than Koko, and far more affectionate. Her beautiful violet-blue eyes are slightly crossed.Pg 191, ''The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern''

Novels

Related Works by Lilian Jackson Braun

#''The Cat Who Had 14 Tales'', 1988 (): an anthology of unrelated short stories involving various cats. Note that Qwilleran, Koko and Yum Yum do not appear in these tales. #''Short and Tall Tales: Moose County Legends Collected by James Mackintosh Qwilleran'', 2002 (): collected anecdotes and regional folklore from residents of Pickax & environs #''The Private Life of the Cat Who ...: Tales of Koko and Yum Yum (from the Journals of James Mackintosh Qwilleran)'', 2004 (): collection of extracts from several previous works with limited new material

Related Works by Other Authors

*''The Cat Who... Companion'', 1998 () by Sharon A. Feaster, including Braun interview *''The Cat Who... Quiz Book'', 2003 () by Robert J. Headrick, Jr., with introduction by Braun *''The Cat Who... Cookbook'', 2000 () by Julie Murphy and Sally Abney Stempinski, with foreword by Braun *''The Cat Who... Reunion Cookbook'', 2006 () by Julie Murphy and Sally Abney Stempinski, with foreword by Braun *''The Cat Who Killed Lilian Jackson Braun'', 2003 (), a parody novel by Robert Kaplow

References

External links