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Cats in Books: a celebration of cat illustration through the ages
Cats in Books is the perfect -- and perfectly priced -- gift for feline fanciers and bibliophiles alike. Within its beautifully illustrated pages are some of the finest depictions of cats as they have appeared in books over more than 1,000 years. Some, like Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, are well known; others, such as the 8th-century cats in the Irish illuminated masterpiece the Book of Kells, may be new to many readers.All cat illustrators have a common goal: to capture the character of this notoriously elusive animal. Found here is the work of Edward Lear, creator of The Owl and the Pussycat, and of Beatrix Potter, whose delicate creatures are eternal favorites, along with that of Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Arthur Rackham, Aubrey Beardsley, George Herriman, and many more.
Here too are images by artists whose illustrations are indelibly associated with certain literary works: Sir John Tenniel's classic Cheshire Cat for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Edward Gorey's version of T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and Fred Marcellino's recent rendering of Charles Perrault's Puss in Boots, to name but a few.
Here too are images by artists whose illustrations are indelibly associated with certain literary works: Sir John Tenniel's classic Cheshire Cat for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Edward Gorey's version of T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and Fred Marcellino's recent rendering of Charles Perrault's Puss in Boots, to name but a few.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1997
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 4, 2023
I found this in our book cabinet. I don't know how it got there. I wonder if our cat put it there?
Well this is a book about cats...in books. I guess the title gave that away, hey? Rodney Dale has collected a short history of cats that appeared in art works, books and comics, along with a short history of the folks who created them. It's by no means exhaustive; it's a celebration; a reminder of our furry, aloof friends, who present us with their catch of the day, keep us amused with their antics, occasionally share a flea or two with us, and terrify our pet birds.
I was very disappointed that Felix the Cat didn't rate a mention, since he was my favourite, AND the creation of Aussie, Pat Sullivan, but still, this is a wonderful read and beautifully illustrated. I shall mail this book to another Goodreads feline aficionado, so that it doesn't end up hiding in our bookcase, unloved for another 20 years.
Well this is a book about cats...in books. I guess the title gave that away, hey? Rodney Dale has collected a short history of cats that appeared in art works, books and comics, along with a short history of the folks who created them. It's by no means exhaustive; it's a celebration; a reminder of our furry, aloof friends, who present us with their catch of the day, keep us amused with their antics, occasionally share a flea or two with us, and terrify our pet birds.
I was very disappointed that Felix the Cat didn't rate a mention, since he was my favourite, AND the creation of Aussie, Pat Sullivan, but still, this is a wonderful read and beautifully illustrated. I shall mail this book to another Goodreads feline aficionado, so that it doesn't end up hiding in our bookcase, unloved for another 20 years.
December 12, 2020
What can be better than combining two such subjects, cats and books? Rodney Dale's excellent survey of 'Cats in Books' reveals that the answer could well be 'Nothing'!
In a lengthy introduction Dale discusses the evolution of how cats through the ages have been portrayed in manuscript and book illustration. They were revered in Ancient Egypt and murals of the period showed cats as domestic pets as well as doing their work on rat-infested grain stores. He adds that it is unfortunate that there are no Egyptian books from which illustrations can be shown. In Greece and the Roman Empire cats lived a life of lazy languor but again little was written about them at that time and it was Aesop in his fables who first featured them.
He goes on to discuss how the church had love-hate relationships with cats, how they came to be thought of as witches' 'familiars' - 'supernatural companions who manifested themselves as animals' and how they were often thought of as the power behind the throne. He cites Dick Whittington, who helped his master to become Lord Mayor of London, and Puss in Boots, who metamorphosed his master from a third son to a Prince of the realm,.as examples.
He mentions that the first cat show was held at St Giles' Fair, Winchester, in 1598 but that then there was not another until July 1871 when Harrison Weir organised the first regular cat show at the Crystal Palace in London's Hyde Park. From then on 'cat shows became all the rage'.
He tells us that the cat featured in many book illustrations, some of them believable images others more questionable. And in the 19th-century there was a boom in cats doing human things, an approach developed in their different ways by such as Beatrix Potter, Kathleen Hale, Louis Wain and Graham Oakley. This leads Dale nicely into examples of cat illustrations through the ages.
The first cats he mentions are from 'The Lindisfarne Gospels' and 'The Book of Kells' before they began to appear in Psalters and Bestiaries. Then in 1478 came the Leonardo sketches. These were sketches of cats that were associated with his work 'Madonna and Child with Cat'. William Caxton was then responsible for printing the first books in English, one of which 'Aesop's Fables' which depicted cats in 1484.
We then look at a whole variety of books with cat illustrations, such as Edward Donovan's 'The History of British Quadrupeds' of 1820, 'The White Cat' of 1847, illustrated by 'JW', Heinrich Hoffmann-Donner's 'Struwwelpeter', 'Dame Trot and her Wonderful Cat', which was popular throughout the 19th-century, the Cheshire Cat from 'Alice' and Kipling's 'The Cat that Walked Alone'.
More modern examples are such as 'Krazy Kat', Orlando (my favourite), 'The Cat in the Hat (another of my favourites), described rather bizarrely by Dale as 'not very appealing', TS Eliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' arguably one of the best cat books on the market, Ronald Searle's 'Fat Cats' [Searle, living in Paris at the time, was a customer of mine when I was a young bookseller] through to Jim Davis' Garfield.
There are plenty more to browse over and it is an excellent survey of cat illustration through 1,200 years and leaves the reader thinking of other cats who could be mentioned such as Korky the Cat from the 'Dandy' and Tom of 'Tom and Jerry' - although the last mentioned would probably be ruled out for being politically incorrect these days!
In a lengthy introduction Dale discusses the evolution of how cats through the ages have been portrayed in manuscript and book illustration. They were revered in Ancient Egypt and murals of the period showed cats as domestic pets as well as doing their work on rat-infested grain stores. He adds that it is unfortunate that there are no Egyptian books from which illustrations can be shown. In Greece and the Roman Empire cats lived a life of lazy languor but again little was written about them at that time and it was Aesop in his fables who first featured them.
He goes on to discuss how the church had love-hate relationships with cats, how they came to be thought of as witches' 'familiars' - 'supernatural companions who manifested themselves as animals' and how they were often thought of as the power behind the throne. He cites Dick Whittington, who helped his master to become Lord Mayor of London, and Puss in Boots, who metamorphosed his master from a third son to a Prince of the realm,.as examples.
He mentions that the first cat show was held at St Giles' Fair, Winchester, in 1598 but that then there was not another until July 1871 when Harrison Weir organised the first regular cat show at the Crystal Palace in London's Hyde Park. From then on 'cat shows became all the rage'.
He tells us that the cat featured in many book illustrations, some of them believable images others more questionable. And in the 19th-century there was a boom in cats doing human things, an approach developed in their different ways by such as Beatrix Potter, Kathleen Hale, Louis Wain and Graham Oakley. This leads Dale nicely into examples of cat illustrations through the ages.
The first cats he mentions are from 'The Lindisfarne Gospels' and 'The Book of Kells' before they began to appear in Psalters and Bestiaries. Then in 1478 came the Leonardo sketches. These were sketches of cats that were associated with his work 'Madonna and Child with Cat'. William Caxton was then responsible for printing the first books in English, one of which 'Aesop's Fables' which depicted cats in 1484.
We then look at a whole variety of books with cat illustrations, such as Edward Donovan's 'The History of British Quadrupeds' of 1820, 'The White Cat' of 1847, illustrated by 'JW', Heinrich Hoffmann-Donner's 'Struwwelpeter', 'Dame Trot and her Wonderful Cat', which was popular throughout the 19th-century, the Cheshire Cat from 'Alice' and Kipling's 'The Cat that Walked Alone'.
More modern examples are such as 'Krazy Kat', Orlando (my favourite), 'The Cat in the Hat (another of my favourites), described rather bizarrely by Dale as 'not very appealing', TS Eliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' arguably one of the best cat books on the market, Ronald Searle's 'Fat Cats' [Searle, living in Paris at the time, was a customer of mine when I was a young bookseller] through to Jim Davis' Garfield.
There are plenty more to browse over and it is an excellent survey of cat illustration through 1,200 years and leaves the reader thinking of other cats who could be mentioned such as Korky the Cat from the 'Dandy' and Tom of 'Tom and Jerry' - although the last mentioned would probably be ruled out for being politically incorrect these days!
February 17, 2022
Cats are not only one of the most popular pets in the world but also hold a long place in history alongside humans who have hated them, loved them and worshiped them. And so what better way to explore their influence and their paw prints on our history than to explore those literary cat characters who have made their way into our hearts?
Cats In Books explores in a mostly chronological order those evolving cat personas, the people behind their portrayal whether authors, artists or both and some of the history of the cat at the same time. And in some cases the reader will also get to relearn those stories (as if we could ever forget them) that introduced them to well-known cats such as the cat who walked alone, the notorious black cat of horror both literary and historical, the infuriating Cheshire Cat and the numerous faces of Old Possum just to name a few.
The illustrations are just as varied as the literary cats themselves but the reader will recognize several of them just as much as they recognized the names. Ol' Puss in Boots before his Shrek transformation, Beatrix Potter's Tom Kitten, the Seussian Cat In the Hat and even the most modern of the cats found in Garfield.
All in all it is a rather but decent read who rather small size is a reminder that it isn't a full comprehensive guide to literary cats and as such some of your favorite more modern felines may be missing. Still, though, if you like cats than this book will be for you....
Cats In Books explores in a mostly chronological order those evolving cat personas, the people behind their portrayal whether authors, artists or both and some of the history of the cat at the same time. And in some cases the reader will also get to relearn those stories (as if we could ever forget them) that introduced them to well-known cats such as the cat who walked alone, the notorious black cat of horror both literary and historical, the infuriating Cheshire Cat and the numerous faces of Old Possum just to name a few.
The illustrations are just as varied as the literary cats themselves but the reader will recognize several of them just as much as they recognized the names. Ol' Puss in Boots before his Shrek transformation, Beatrix Potter's Tom Kitten, the Seussian Cat In the Hat and even the most modern of the cats found in Garfield.
All in all it is a rather but decent read who rather small size is a reminder that it isn't a full comprehensive guide to literary cats and as such some of your favorite more modern felines may be missing. Still, though, if you like cats than this book will be for you....
August 16, 2021
This is a "one of the kind" book that would primarily interest cat-book lovers. The illustrations that appear in this book have been those that have been in books over the century. Many of them I was aware of, but there were also many that I was totally unfamiliar with. The book is in chronological order, starting with Egyptian cat illustrators to present. So many bring back sweet memories of books that I read when I was a kid. Remember the Cheshire Cat from "Alice in Wonderland? How about Edgar Allen Poe and his poetry including cats? Leonardo da Vinci's illustrations are included, and T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"? There is also "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Suess, and "Garfield" by Jim Davis. There are too many others to mention, but the book was an enjoyable read.
January 19, 2020
I loved it. To focus on the positive: unbelievably beautiful illustrations from the Lindisfarne Gospels onward. So if you love cats and books, this will be a fantastic collection. I like the size, too, because I can just toss it in my bag and enjoy on a car trip. I think Dale demonstrates that human beings have loved cats enough throughout the ages to make sure they are given their due respect in book form!
August 29, 2021
It’s a fun little book with quirky illustrations of cats throughout the ages. From literary cats, historic cats, famous cat fables, and cat art… If you live cats, history, and literature then look no further.
January 16, 2025
An interesting discussion of the history of cats as illustrated in books going back to the time of Aristotle and up to the time of Garfield. Nothing profound or earth shattering here, just drawing of cats and info on the books they appeared in. Exactly as promised on the cover.
February 6, 2022
A small and short book but detailed over the course of history about cats in books
November 15, 2025
Many nice pictures, but at times strange commentary.
November 12, 2015
The title suggests it is just a cute book about famous literary cats, however, it is actually a thorough history of cats that have been illustrated in books over the centuries. An unique history book with plenty of illustrations.
September 25, 2011
Packed full of illustrations. Great for reference and inspiration, as well as a starting point for further research.
January 24, 2012
Wonderful book for cat lovers. Would make a great gift for a loyal cat sitter.
October 31, 2012
A must have for every cat lover. I bought my copy in an indie bookstore Quiapo Manila.
December 24, 2016
Cutest thing
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews