ALGONQUIN CAT

The Algonquin cat is Hamlet, a grey-and-white spotted feline who was first brought to the famed Manhattan hotel by novelist Baskin (a multiple cat-owner), then given to peripatetic movie-star Camilla Lipton, then adopted by the hotel staff when Camilla took off for Paris. So now Hamlet (who ""found the Algonquin surpassingly mnrhnh"") lolls about the place, dreaming and listening in on while the hotel's classy clientele--book, theater, and movie folk--wheel and deal and chatter. But the one day covered in this mini-book is special, because Hamlet, usually opposed to any sort of work, spends the day finding an assortment of things--a huge mislaid diamond (a Burton-to-Taylor-style gift), a valuable coin (for a nice little boy), a long-missing manuscript (by James Thurber?)--and also playing Cupid or Muse to other hotel guests. With typically fey drawings by Hilary Knight (Eloise), a boutique item for whimsical cat-lovers only.