Bohemian Cats [Hardcover]

Karen Mahony (Author), Alex Ukolov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

An exquisitely illustrated picture book for all lovers of cats, costumes and the gently bizarre. Bohemian Cats invites readers into a fantastical world where gorgeously-dressed cats go about their business in a lavishly theatrical setting of castles, baroque gardens, banqueting halls and masquerade balls. Beautifully produced, the book features eighty full-color detailed illustrations, and includes four panoramic pull-out spreads.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A must-own! This reviewer and her children, ages 13, 8, & 7, loved this book, and highly recommend it. -- Jennifer LB Leese - children's book reviewer

From the Author

Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov founded "baba studio" in Prague in 2002. The studio specialises in a distinctive magic-realism, lavish, humourous and utterly fantastical.

Their work has recently featured in a number of leading European design magazines.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 100 pages
• Publisher: Magic Realist Press (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0954500741
• ISBN-13: 978-0954500740
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karen Mahony was born in Belfast, N. Ireland, but moved to the UK when she was seventeen. Since then she's lived in Canterbury, London, Woodbridge in Suffolk and, since 2001, in Prague, Czech Republic. She runs Baba Studio and The Magic Realist Press with her partner Alex Ukolov from a studio in the centre of the old city.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute "must-have" for true ailurophiles, January 7, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bohemian Cats (Hardcover)

The collaborative work of Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov, Bohemian Cats is a wondrous storybook, with text simple enough to be accessible to children yet so fantastic that it is sure to appeal to all ages. Every page of this stunningly delightful fairy tale features charming, full-color, photographic illustrations of rambunctuous felines who ruled a distant land called Bohemia. No live cats were harmed or even inconvenienced in the making of Bohemian Cats, which applies digital technology to photographs of cats and environments to create the lustrous, puss-n-boots style images of felines in royal garb. An absolute "must-have" for true ailurophiles, and a dazzling treasure to simply page through.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visual feast for children and cat-lovers, January 7, 2005

By 

Marion Gropen "publishing consultant" (Gropen Associates, NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bohemian Cats (Hardcover)

I can't say enough good things about this book! I have recommended it to everyone who has presents to buy for children or cat-lovers. This sumptuous book combines costume drama with art while having a plot line that is mild enough for children, yet with undertones that adults will enjoy. The art, like many of the subtleties of the text, are probably over the heads of many youngsters, but they will love what they do "get."

This book can be read aloud to pre-schoolers (my 4 year old loved it), or handed to older readers. Unlike many read-aloud books, this one can hold the adult's interest, too.

The art involves taking many pictures, of setting, costume and cats, and then super-imposing them upon each other. The illustrators then adjusted the pictures so that they look more like baroque paintings, and added fillips of whimsy.

I see good books and bad as a reviewer; the bad I reject, but their effects can linger. This one is a gem, and thank goodness for it. It was a joy to read, and it's a treat to be able to recommend it to you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Gift, November 19, 2004

By 

Zachary Ferrell - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bohemian Cats (Hardcover)

A beautiful picture book for cat lovers of all ages, BOHEMIAN CATS is sure to become a classic, not only for its precious design and exquisite illustrations, but for its hilarious, fantastical, often absurd story. Made "on location" using historical settings in the Czech Republic as a backdrop, Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov have written a wonderful new fairy tale that tells of a time when cats ruled the kingdom of Bohemia. As the book jacket promises, after reading BOHEMIAN CATS, your own feline companions will never look the same again!