Ian Hickman (actually his two middle names) is one of the pennames used by the author, a professional electronics engineer with more than fifty yearsтАЩ experience. With a BSc Hons, MIEE, MIEEE, he is a chartered engineer and a sometime member of various national and international standards committees concerned with equipment, systems level applications of electronics and communications. He is the author of over two dozen books (twelve titles, counting second and later editions) and over 300 magazine articles concerned with electronics. This is Ian HickmanтАЩs first venture into fiction. His book My Friend Farringdon was instigated by a dream, completely forgotten, of which only the phrase тАЬSpanking catтАЭ remained. This prompted the present work which seemed to write itself, as ideas for the story flowed in abundance. The tale is told by Yellow Laughing S. Catt and covers his life and that of his friend, Farringdon Spanking Catt.