Author's note

"At the beginning of a lot of books you will find a note explaining that all the people and places are made up and nothing to do with real life at all. This book is not quite like that; Rufus, Torchy and Mad Gypsy Atkins are all real animals. And some of the things in this book really happened. Which ones those are, you will have to decide for yourself."

First published in Great Britain 1979 as Marmalade and Rufus; rereleased in 1982 to tie in with Marmalade in Space.