The little cat Deric Longden saw sitting forlornly on an upturned bucket belonged to the neighbours, but somehow when it began to rain it seemed only natural to bring him inside. Once there, he slipped so easily into Deric and Aileen's lives that there was an unspoken agreement that he had found his real home. Little did he know that he had entered the Longden world, in which the unexpected (almost) always happens...Aileen being Aileen, it was probably inevitable that sooner or later the kitten would be trapped in the refrigerator. And Deric being Deric, the obvious way to thaw him back to life was to make a little coat for him out of a shrunken thermal vest. Thus the cat who came in from the cold got his name - Thermal - and joined the wonderful cast of characters in the ongoing Longden saga.

Cat Who Came in from the Cold

Longden, Deric

Children's Books

Transworld Pub

Diana's story

In 1971 Deric Longden's wife Diana fell ill with the mysterious disorder known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis). She was unable to move without a wheelchair, and was in almost constant pain. Equally distressing, perhaps, was the fact that every doctor she saw was unable to diagnose what was wrong with her. Deric, devoting more and more time to looking after Diana, watched his business gradually fail, and had to neglect his developing career as a broadcaster. He became house husband, nurse and caretaker of the woman he loved. 
Diana's Story is told by a writer who can transform the bleakest moment with his warmth and wit. It is an extraordinarily funny account of a marriage based on love and on an exceptional sense of humour.

Diana's Story

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

I'm a Stranger Here Myself

In 1990, Deric Longden made a momentous move to Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, where the distinctive customs and wealth of remarkable characters would surely provide him with all the material he needed for his planned book, one of the great classics of travel literature. But two years later, when he sat down to write, the major events of everyday life kept intruding—the demands of a houseful of cats, the problem of getting the cooker repaired, the memories evoked by sorting through old clothes in the wardrobe. I'm a Stranger Here Myself is a travel book where the most hilarious adventures can happen between the kitchen and the bathroom, and where a morning's shopping can provide enough anecdotes to last a lifetime.

Arts & Literature

Transworld Publishers

Deric Longden shares his life with a blind novelist, Aileen Armitage, and four cats: Thermal, Tigger, Frink, and Arthur. Aileen rarely trips over the cats, but they are always in danger of being mistaken for a cardigan.

Enough to Make a Cat Laugh

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Full of homespun wisdom, gentle wit and charm, Paws in the Proceedings is the second book of Deric’s gentle tales of life in Huddersfield with his wife Aileen and their menagerie of playful cats with big personalities. From the Hardcover edition.

Paws in the Proceedings

Corgi

Throughout the 1990s, Deric Longden has shared his life with Aileen Armitage and four cats: Thermal, Tigger, Frink, and shabby old Arthur. And the cats have found that sharing a life with Aileen can be a very painful business. She hardly ever trips over them these days, but they are always in danger of being mistaken for a cardigan or inadvertently locked away in the basement. Ever since Thermal came in from the cold to enter his life, Deric has seen his world increasingly taken over by cats. What with planning their menus, entertaining their friends, listening to their worries, and observing their adventures, he has little time left over for his professional life as a writer. But there are rich rewards. One way or another, the cats that Deric and Aileen share their lives with are an endless source of interest and laughter. Few writers have found so much enjoyment in the company of cats, and none has written better about their charm and the fascinating range of their personalities.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself. Deric Longden

Corgi Books

Lost for Words

Random House Pod

The Cat Who Came in from the Cold

A gullible cat owner tells how he was won over by the soaking wet kitten he found in his garden and how the pet changed his life, in a captivating true story illustrated with black-and-white line drawings.

Literature & Fiction

Humor & Satire

Bantam]

One of the most vivid characters in "Diana's Story" was Deric Longden's mother, with her eccentric way with words and personal brand of logic. She is the central figure in this sequel, which takes the author's story forward to the time after his first wife's death and also back to his childhood. Mrs Longden is found making her devastating way through Marks and Spencer, conversing with her two cats - almost as unorthodox as she is - offering her highly original comments on the fresh developments in Deric's life and finally enduring the stroke that put a new twist on her unique wordplay and led eventually to her death. Sad though the ending is, the author's blend of pathos and humour again offers more laughter than tears.

Lost for words

BANTAM PRESS

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Longden, Deric. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Longden, Deric

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Longden, Deric. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Cat Who Came in from the Cold

Diana's Story

I'm a Stranger Here Myself

Enough to Make a Cat Laugh

Paws in the Proceedings

Enough to Make a Cat Laugh

I'm a Stranger Here Myself. Deric Longden

Lost for Words

The Cat Who Came in from the Cold

Lost for words