What do you think?
Rate this book
Robinson: The Pleasant History of an Unusual Cat
An enchanting story for both children and adults about a stray cat transformed by a saucer of magical milk into a musical prodigy who performs at Carnegie Hall. Second printing.
- GenresPicture BooksFiction
Hardcover
First published October 1, 1996
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Walter Inglis Anderson
16 books3 followersWalter Inglis Anderson was born in 1903 in New Orleans ... His mother’s love of art, music, and literature strongly influenced Walter ... and his two brothers, Peter and Mac. Anderson was educated at a private boarding school, then attended the Parsons Institute of Design in New York and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where his drawings earned him a scholarship for study abroad. He traveled through Europe and was particularly impressed with the cave art he saw at Les Eyzies in France. His wide-ranging interests included extensive reading of poetry, history, natural science and art history. He was an life-long learner, searching for meaning in books of folklore, mythology, philosophy, and epics of voyage and discovery.
Anderson returned to Ocean Springs and married a Radcliffe graduate, Agnes (Sissy) Grinstead, started a family, and went to work creating molds and decorating earthenware at Shearwater Pottery, founded by his brother Peter. Anderson felt that an artist should create affordable work that brought pleasure to others, and in return, the artist should be able to pursue his artistic passions. In the 1930s, he worked on regional Works Progress Administration mural projects and began to view his role in art as a muralist.
In the late 1930s Anderson first succumbed to mental illness. He was diagnosed with profound depression and spent three years in and out of hospitals. Following his hospitalizations, Anderson joined his wife and small children at her father’s antebellum home in Gautier, Mississippi. The pastoral tranquility of the plantation, called Oldfields, provided an ideal setting for recuperation. During this period he rendered thousands of disciplined and compelling works of art which reflected his training, intellect, and extraordinary grasp of the history of art.
In 1947, with the understanding of his family, Anderson left his wife and children and embarked on a private and very solitary existence. He lived alone in a cottage on the Shearwater compound, and increased his visits to Horn Island, one of a group of barrier islands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, rowing the 12 miles in a small skiff, carrying minimal necessities and his art supplies. Anderson spent long periods of time on this uninhabited island over the last 18 years of his life. There he lived primitively, working in the open and sleeping under his boat, sometimes for weeks at a time.
He endured extreme weather conditions, from blistering summers to hurricane winds and freezing winters. He painted and drew a multitude of species of island vegetation, animals, birds, and insects, penetrating the wild thickets on hands and knees and lying in lagoons in his search to record his beloved island paradise. Anderson’s obsession to “realize” his subjects through his art, to be one with the natural world instead of an intruder, created works that are intense and evocative.
Walter Anderson died at the age of 62 in a New Orleans hospital of lung cancer. Much of the work survived only by chance; it was discovered in drifts, like autumn leaves, throughout his cottage after his death. Those found treasures present the viewer today with a fascinating opportunity to share Anderson’s vision.
http://www.walterandersonmuseum.org/i...
Anderson returned to Ocean Springs and married a Radcliffe graduate, Agnes (Sissy) Grinstead, started a family, and went to work creating molds and decorating earthenware at Shearwater Pottery, founded by his brother Peter. Anderson felt that an artist should create affordable work that brought pleasure to others, and in return, the artist should be able to pursue his artistic passions. In the 1930s, he worked on regional Works Progress Administration mural projects and began to view his role in art as a muralist.
In the late 1930s Anderson first succumbed to mental illness. He was diagnosed with profound depression and spent three years in and out of hospitals. Following his hospitalizations, Anderson joined his wife and small children at her father’s antebellum home in Gautier, Mississippi. The pastoral tranquility of the plantation, called Oldfields, provided an ideal setting for recuperation. During this period he rendered thousands of disciplined and compelling works of art which reflected his training, intellect, and extraordinary grasp of the history of art.
In 1947, with the understanding of his family, Anderson left his wife and children and embarked on a private and very solitary existence. He lived alone in a cottage on the Shearwater compound, and increased his visits to Horn Island, one of a group of barrier islands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, rowing the 12 miles in a small skiff, carrying minimal necessities and his art supplies. Anderson spent long periods of time on this uninhabited island over the last 18 years of his life. There he lived primitively, working in the open and sleeping under his boat, sometimes for weeks at a time.
He endured extreme weather conditions, from blistering summers to hurricane winds and freezing winters. He painted and drew a multitude of species of island vegetation, animals, birds, and insects, penetrating the wild thickets on hands and knees and lying in lagoons in his search to record his beloved island paradise. Anderson’s obsession to “realize” his subjects through his art, to be one with the natural world instead of an intruder, created works that are intense and evocative.
Walter Anderson died at the age of 62 in a New Orleans hospital of lung cancer. Much of the work survived only by chance; it was discovered in drifts, like autumn leaves, throughout his cottage after his death. Those found treasures present the viewer today with a fascinating opportunity to share Anderson’s vision.
http://www.walterandersonmuseum.org/i...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 15, 2021
"Children, when not asleep, help to keep older people alive" - Walter Inglis Anderson. This beautiful and unusually illustrated book about a cat who plays the piano made my heart smile! I highly recommend this book to children and adults. I purchased the paperback version and must say it is one of the highest quality children's book in my personal library. I have been a fan of Walter Inglis Anderson's artwork all my life, but I had never seen a copy of this book until I found it available recently and ordered it immediately. I am so glad I did. The afterward by Anderson's daughter adds a special touch to learn a bit about the artist. An excellent book, especially if you are fond of domestic felines and the fine arts. Delightful!
January 1, 2018
I'm attempting to read through some of the zillions of children's books I acquired when working at a used bookstore. I was always attracted to storybooks that seemed uncommon or had intriguing illustrations. This book fits the bill on both counts, and has the extra bonus of a title that is also my last name.
The Library of Congress synopsis summary says: "A cat drinks from a saucer of magical milk and becomes an accomplished magician." Of course there's more to it than that, even though the text is charmingly succinct.
Anderson's woodcuts are the real standout here, and I also enjoyed his daughters comments in the back of the book, explaining how difficult they were to do, and also her memories of wearing dresses decorated with prints he'd designed and cut.
Will charm lovers of cat stories and accomplished art/design.
The Library of Congress synopsis summary says: "A cat drinks from a saucer of magical milk and becomes an accomplished magician." Of course there's more to it than that, even though the text is charmingly succinct.
Anderson's woodcuts are the real standout here, and I also enjoyed his daughters comments in the back of the book, explaining how difficult they were to do, and also her memories of wearing dresses decorated with prints he'd designed and cut.
Will charm lovers of cat stories and accomplished art/design.
July 17, 2021
45353)
February 1, 2016
From the afterword, written by Walter Anderson's daughter, Mary Anderson Pickard:
The story itself is really cute and follows the rise of cat pianist Robinson, from a homeless and hungry stray to the conductor of an all-animal orchestra. The beautiful lino block illustrations are very intricate; I can't imagine the amount of time it must have taken to create them. All of them are tinted a light orange, so it's a little bland. I almost wish they hadn't been colored at all. I checked this book out from the Mississippi Library Commission.
Robinson was begun in 1943. Despite my father's skill with linoleum the book was difficult. The original story was cut into the blocks. Letters on blocks must be cut backward so that they will read correctly when printed.
The story itself is really cute and follows the rise of cat pianist Robinson, from a homeless and hungry stray to the conductor of an all-animal orchestra. The beautiful lino block illustrations are very intricate; I can't imagine the amount of time it must have taken to create them. All of them are tinted a light orange, so it's a little bland. I almost wish they hadn't been colored at all. I checked this book out from the Mississippi Library Commission.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews