The Quintessential Cat [Paperback]

Roberta Altman (Author), Christina Dunstan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

This delightful, A-to-Z volume is a comprehensive celebration of the cat in art, history, literature and culture. Handsomely illustrated with museum reproductions and full of interesting anecdotes, folk beliefs and intriguing information, The Quintessential Cat is sure to fascinate the cat connoisseur.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Altman (The Cancer Dictionary, LJ 10/1/92) has done extensive research to produce this delightful A-to-Z volume celebrating the cat. She traces the history of the cat in Egypt, Rome, Europe, Asia, and America, presents fascinating accounts of cat breeds from the Abyssinian to the Turkish Van, and explains cat behaviors such as hissing, kneading, and purring. Aside from profiling famous cats in advertising, films, and cartoons such as Garfield and Krazy Kat and unusual cats such as Wiffy, the cat mayor of Guffey, Colorado, Altman offers classic short stories and poems by authors such as Aesop, Colette, and Poe. She also traces the origins of such expressions as "raining cats and dogs." There are appendixes for cat boutiques, cat clubs, and humane societies and listings of travel destinations for cat lovers, including museums, bed and breakfasts, and bookstores. One of the most charming entries is the Library Cat Society, which encourages the presence of cats in libraries. This unique work will bring hours of enjoyment to cat lovers. (Photos not seen.)-Eva Lautemann, DeKalb Coll. Lib., Clarkston, Ga.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

"After looking through countless cat books on countless shelves, I could find none that was what my fantasy cat book would be. I wanted a cat book that would have it all--from proverbs, superstitions, and fables, to cats in movies, music, and literature, to cat breeds and behavior, and so on." This is not a how-to book of cat care or a work of feline scholarship, but an idiosyncratic and literate collection by an intelligent catlover.

In dictionary format, the book includes short pieces on various professions, including writers and artists. Baker & Taylor appear in the entry Library Cat Society, and there is an entry for Switzerland's Katzen Museum. Individuals who have strong cat interests get brief paragraphs that concentrate on their cat relationships. Kingsley Amis' wish to put a cat door into his study is discussed, not his literary reputation. Sidebars are scattered liberally throughout the book. Some are brief quotations: "How neatly a cat sleeps" (Pablo Neruda). Others are longer pieces, full short stories such as Kipling's "The Cat That Walked by Himself." T. S. Eliot's cats are represented, as is Don Marquis' Mehitabel. Felix the Cat, Garfield, and Fritz the Cat are given paragraphs, as is First Cat Socks. The Cat in the Hat doesn't have one, but he is mentioned in essays on children's books and on Dr. Seuss. Cat legend and lore is not confined to the West. Japanese, Chinese, and Native American cat tales, among others, are included. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, line drawings, and reproductions of works of art from ancient Egypt to Andy Warhol. There are appendixes of resources (stores, humane societies, medical assistance, cat-fancy groups, etc.), a bibliography, and lists of artists and authors whose works appear. Some omissions are noted (e.g., The Cat Who Went to Paris), and a few errors (Garfield's unduly cute nemesis is Nermal, not Nermel). Quotations are usually sourced no further than the author, but that is enough for a browsing book. While not an imperative purchase, this book will be useful for casual reference in a public library. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028614461
• ISBN-13: 978-0028614465
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,566,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant!, October 30, 2003

By 

"happytrails9" (NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quintessential Cat: A Connoisseur's Guide to the Cat in History, Art, Literature and Legend (Hardcover)

This wonderful book is a must for any cat enthusiast. It has a wealth of information on everything from cat related literature, to films, to famous cats and most popular cat names. It is peppered with a variety of cute and interesting quotes, poems, legends and superstitions. Impossible not to enjoy! I would give it five well deserved stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A potpourri of cat stories, poetry, and miscellaneous facts, January 10, 2010

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Quintessential Cat (Paperback)

Everyone who lives with cats has stories about these mysterious creatures, and "The Quintessential Cat" attempts to distill the essential feline essence from these stories, with an intermingling of miscellaneous breed facts, and an abundance of anecdotes about show business cats. I would have preferred more photographs, especially of the breeds, but the pictures Ms. Altman chooses are interesting.

It's amazing how well cats and authors get along--everyone from Colette to Ernest Hemingway. Emily Dickinson wrote a poem, "She Sights a Bird" that begins: "She sights a Bird--she chuckles--/ She flattens--then she crawls--/ She runs without the look of feet--/ Her eyes increase to Balls--"

Some of the spookiest stories involve cats who seem to be able to foretell disasters, especially earthquakes, but also German bombing missions in war-torn London. Another cat moved her kittens to a safer location a few hours before a huge rock crashed through the office window where she resided. Cats also seem to have a talent called `psi-trailing' where some of them can return to homes hundreds of miles from their current location.

"The Quintessential Cat" isn't precisely an encyclopedia of cats, nor is it a cat care manual. Its 289 pages invite the reader to browse for a story or poem. In fact, it makes nice bedtime reading, if you scrupulously avoid the author's occasional turn into the gruesome, especially when speaking of the European Middle Ages.