Cur VitaeThe Collected Writings of Talrich deYorkshire

Not just aimed at the canine literati, these eight short stories (and one long one), are for anyone, dog or human, who enjoys a good read—about dogs and humans! The stories are as diverse as the canine gene pool; While one is set in 1977, another takes place in 2084; One story takes us to the greyhound tracks of England, and another to a lunar-like crater in the middle of the Arizona desert; There’s gripping courtroom drama, a backstage show-biz tale, a gritty detective dog crime story, and more!

This book was created after much urging by a cadre of the author’s literary friends and admirers. Mr. deYorkshire finally relented and selected some of his personal favorites, as well as writing some new, original pieces, expressly for this collection. Naturally, we are extremely pleased and proud that Mr. deYorkshire has chosen Intermittent Publications to disseminate this priceless contribution to American belles lettres des chien.

From The Authors Foreword…

I’ve always known I had a book in me. Ever since, as a pup, I ate a copy of Melville’s Moby Dick.

Now, I’ll readily admit that I can point to very few great books—or even good ones—written by other Yorkshire terriers. I’m not counting here, of course, any of the several books from those literary Yorkshirewomen, the Brontë sisters, that have been rumored over the years, at one time and another, to have actually been authored by Emily’s Yorkie, Heathcliff. However, I must say, after taking on the arduous task myself of producing the humble little tome you now hold in your hands, I’m surprised anyone—dog or man—would willingly undertake the writing of a book, if they knew beforehand how much time and effort it would require.

As a matter of fact, right now I have a great idea for another book. It’s about the unsung Yorkshire terriers that have so often proved to be the steadying force in the background in the lives of famous Yorkshiremen, down through history. I think it’s an important story that needs to be told, but perhaps never will be, just because I find the idea of starting another book so daunting at this point. I need to give both my paws and my typewriter a rest.

And yet…and yet, I think it’s about time, for example, that the true story was told of Yorkshire’s most infamous son, Guy Fawkes (born in York), and his conspiracy to assassinate King James and blow up Parliament. The truth is, the plot was foiled by a Yorkshire terrier. It was William Parker, Fourth Baron Monteagle’s Yorkie, Raffles, who, while chasing a mouse in the cellar beneath Parliament, discovered the saboteur’s cache of gunpowder hidden behind some firewood. He immediately alerted Lord Monteagle, and the Gunpowder Plot was undone. There is a dark side to this story however—Parliament was prevented from being blown up…