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Lilian Jackson Braun

Born

in Willimansette, Chicopee Falls, Massachachusetts, The United States

June 20, 1913

Died

June 04, 2011

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers

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Lilian Jackson Braun was an American writer. She is well-known for her light-hearted series of The Cat Who... mystery novels. The Cat Who books center around the life of former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County, "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the "Michigan Thumb") where she resided with her husband for many years until the mid 1980's. Many also believe that the culture and history of the Upper peninsula of Michigan are represented in the series as well, whi Lilian Jackson Braun was an American writer. She is well-known for her light-hearted series of The Cat Who... mystery novels. The Cat Who books center around the life of former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County, "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in the books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be a modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan (located in the "Michigan Thumb") where she resided with her husband for many years until the mid 1980's. Many also believe that the culture and history of the Upper peninsula of Michigan are represented in the series as well, which is quite possible as it is indeed a fictitious location.

Lilian Jackson Braun began her writing career as a teenager, contributing sports poetry for the Detroit News. She later began working as an advertising copywriter for many of Detroit's department stores. After that stint, she worked at the Detroit Free Press as the "Good Living" editor for 30 years. She retired from the Free Press in 1978.

Between 1966 and 1968, she published three novels to critical acclaim: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern and The Cat Who Turned On and Off. In 1966, The New York Times labeled Braun, "the new detective of the year." The rising mystery author disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. The blame came from the fact that mystery novels were starting to focus on sex, violence, and foul language, and Braun's light-hearted books were not welcome in this new territory. It wasn't until 1986 that the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced Braun to the public with the publication of an original paperback, The Cat Who Saw Red. Within two years, Berkeley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted the three mysteries from the sixties. Braun's series became an instant best seller once again. In January 2007 the twenty-ninth novel in the series, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, was released in hardcover by the Penguin Group.

Not much was really known about Braun, as she prefered to keep her private life that way. For years, publishers have given inaccurate accounts of her year of birth, which has remained unknown until she openly acknowledged her age in an interview for the Detroit News in January 2005.

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Combine Editions
Lilian Jackson Braun's Books

Average rating: 3.84 · 170,800 ratings · 6,233 reviews · 106 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (Cat Who..., #1) 3.83 avg rating — 23,358 ratings — published 1966 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Saw Red (Cat Who... #4) 3.90 avg rating — 7,451 ratings — published 1986 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (Cat Who..., #2) 3.89 avg rating — 7,798 ratings — published 1967 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Played Brahms (Cat Who... #5) 3.89 avg rating — 6,761 ratings — published 1987 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Came to Breakfast (Cat Who... #16) 3.92 avg rating — 6,069 ratings — published 1994 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Turned On and Off (Cat Who..., #3) 3.91 avg rating — 6,579 ratings — published 1968 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare (Cat Who..., #7) 3.87 avg rating — 6,350 ratings — published 1988 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Sniffed Glue (Cat Who... #8) 3.90 avg rating — 6,051 ratings — published 1988 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Played Post Office (Cat Who..., #6) 3.92 avg rating — 6,043 ratings — published 1987 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts (Cat Who... #10) 3.91 avg rating — 5,582 ratings — published 1990 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Lilian Jackson Braun…

Series by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who... (29 books)
by Lilian Jackson Braun
3.84 avg rating — 169,349 ratings

Quotes by Lilian Jackson Braun

“Dogs have their day but cats have 365.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who... Omnibus 02 (Books 4-6): The Cat Who Saw Red / The Cat Who Played Brahms / The Cat Who Played Post Office

tags: cats, dogs, funny

185 likes

“Cats are cats . . . the world over!
These intelligent, peace-loving, four-footed friends- who are without prejudice, without hate, without greed- may someday teach us something.
-James Mackintosh Qwilleran”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Saw Stars

tags: cats

89 likes

“People who really appreciated animals always asked their names.”
― Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern

tags: animals

71 likes

See all Lilian Jackson Braun's quotes »

Polls

What would you like to read for October's group read? The theme is cozy mysteries.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1) by Alexander McCall Smith

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

9 votes 36.0%

Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1) by Agatha Christie

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

7 votes 28.0%

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1) by Louise Penny

Still Life by Tom Robbins

3 votes 12.0%

A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1) by Sue Grafton

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

2 votes 8.0%

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Dirk Gently, #1) by Douglas Adams

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

2 votes 8.0%

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (Cat Who..., #1) by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun

1 vote 4.0%

The Truth Sleuth by Jacqueline Seewald

1 vote 4.0%

The Dead Cat Bounce (Home Repair is Homicide Mystery #1) by Sarah Graves

The Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves

0 votes 0.0%

Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1) by Elizabeth Peters

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

0 votes 0.0%

25 total votes

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