Dame Trot is a figure in children’s literature with a long history. The poem Old Dame Trot and Her Comical Cat was first published by T. Evans in 1803, predating the better-known Old Mother Hubbard, which follows a near identical storyline and went on to steal Dame Trot’s spotlight. Despite relative obscurity in the modern culture, particularly in comparison to her dog-loving contemporary, Dame Trot and her cat were popular enough to spur hundreds of reprints, derivations, and adaptations over the two centuries following her debut.
Within the vast collection of books for young readers Ellery Yale Wood left to Bryn Mawr College are thousands of books about cats. These include what we suspect is the world’s largest collection of books containing the amusing story of Dame Trot. We currently have 56 single publications, as well as numerous books of nursery rhymes including the poem. This website provides information on the narrative and chronological trends found in the many publications, as well as a bibliography citing all known Dame Trot works. In addition to this overarching information, a second bibliography provides access to the fully digitized contents of our large collection.