Customer Reviews

Cats in the Sun

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3 star:		(4)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

My wife and I are the pets of two calico felines, Tessa and Trouble. Knowing that we're cat people, friends tend to give us gifts with that relationship in mind. I wish they or we would snap out of it, because some of the Stuff, while well meant, is way too cute or too tacky, or both. (Instead, Amazon gift certificates are always welcome - hint, hint!) However, one offering, CATS IN THE SUN, was well received, and is much appreciated.

This is a coffee table tome with five pages of introductory text. Then, on each of the following 137, not a solitary word is printed, but rather a single, rich, 5.5 X 8.25-inch color photograph. The images were all taken by Hans Silvester on the sun drenched Greek islands of Mykonos, Milos and Naxos, where large populations of domestic cats run semi-wild. While the islands' inhabitants allow none indoors, the animals are tolerated, and sometimes actively cared for, with a detached affection. In return, the rodent populations are suppressed with a vengeance.

Too many books and calendars featuring kitty pictures are cloyingly cute, usually because they tend to emphasize kittens. Refreshingly, this book is not. It features cats, both kittens and adults, in unstaged, natural situations. Cats on streets, steps, rooftops, harbor quays, walls, tree limbs, rocks, chairs, ledges and pathways. Cats sleeping, lounging, climbing, washing, eating, hunting, leaping, courting, fighting, carousing, watching, sitting, exploring, running and walking. Cats alone. Cats in pairs. Cats in groups. Rarely, cats with people or dogs. Short and long-haired cats, in all sizes, colorations and fur patterns. I think Silvester burned through a lot of film.

Among all the glorious pigments, textures, patterns, sunbeams and shadows, I have two favorite images. One, a group of seven cats, all with tails raised and end-curled, walking along with a local codger who is carrying something edible in a plastic sack. (I know it's edible, because that's what our owners look like at six in the morning as I carry the can of TigerChow to the opener.) The other, a cat standing on its hind legs, inquisitively peering into the lower end of a roof's downspout. Then, there are those two curious photos, one of a man painting the base of a wall, the other of some sun-dappled steps, in which no cat is visible at all. Am I (not) seeing the local Cheshire Cat?

I consider most coffee table books as useful as Christmas fruitcakes. (You know, the ones with those hateful little green bits.) However, if you like cats, then CATS IN THE SUN is worth savoring.

This is a lovely coffee table book, celebrating feline beauty in many forms, set in the incomparable beauty of Greece. Hans Silvester's photographs are captivating but only tell part of the story of Greece's cats. They are an integral part of Greece's landscape but their lives are not always beautiful. They are also tales of neglect, disease and cruelty. Anybody who photographs Greece's cats for profit should maybe consider donating some proceeds to their welfare. As much as I enjoyed looking at the photographs, I was uncomfortably aware of the other side of the story, having lived in the region for many years. The book was censorship - a bit like going to Ethiopia and only taking pictures of well-fed children.

Silvester's photographs capture the essential beauty and character of these cats. He does nothing to sentimentalize them or make them "cute". If you like cats for what they are as opposed to over-groomed and posed in baskets and such, you will love these photographs.

This lovely wall calendar is certain to please any and all cat people on your gift list. Why? Because it's not one of those overly-cute kitty compilations that non-cat people always, maddeningly, assume we like. Instead, it's twelve months of beautiful photographs of cats by Hans Silvester taken from various of his well known and highly regarded Cats in the Sun series of books.

These portraits capture the dignified essence of the feline personality while preserving all its delightful quirks and permutations. Cats in repose, alone or with companions, are captured in the sun-dappled, faded-paint architecture of Greek and other eastern Mediterranean fishing villages. They are soothing, calming, and centering to look at, and will complement a variety of decors.

Each month features a full-color 9 x11 photo matted on an 11x13 page. The colors are vivid; the tones harmonious. Moon phases, as well as major Canadian, American, Christian, and Jewish holidays are noted.

I have purchased this calendar for three years in a row - Ive had many cat calendars in my life, this one is my absolute favorite

Hans Silvester -- and who wouldn't want to know whether this is his real name, given that "feline sylvestris" is the genus and species of the house cat? -- is the consumate cat photographer. He habitually captures the essence of The Cat -- intimate, funky, sweet, and seductive.

Anyone who loves cats and the Greek Isles will adore these calendars, which always sell out early.

The "Complete 'Cats in the Sun'" is also a "must have"; it is the ultimate coffee table book for sophisticated cat lovers.

No, this is not a fan letter to the photographer, but my ultimate fantasy would be to apprentice myself to this man, follow him around, and just TRY to capture some of those marvelous shots.

In short, I could not recommend this item more highly, and this goes for EVERYTHING feline that Hans Silvester publishes.


Dr. Robin Halprin
Washington, DC

The author/photographer has truly succeeded in capturing the feline nature in his photos. The Greek architecture and landscape are also very much present, even though the cats are in focus. I just love this book with its fabulous photos, and recommend it to everyone who likes cats and beautiful photography.

Every year around this time I try to find the latest Cats in the Sun calendar in my local bookstores but only find cloying pictures of kittens, so I turn to Amazon. Having these calendars on my wall is the closest I can come to sophisticated photographs of my favorite subject matter, and on cold San Francisco days the sun-drenched locale is warming.

Hans Silvester captures not just cats, but the Mediterranean ambience in these gorgeous photos. His years spent photographing and learning about these felines are apparent. The color and composition of his photos is amazing. He has chosen to show us the real cats...not some cute, little, studio-posed furball. These are cats in their natural habitat going about their daily routines. This is a must have for cat lovers.

I buy this calendar every year. It's a "must have" for true cat fans. No clothing on the cats, just beautiful cats in sunny Greece.