A Catland Companion
John Silvester & Anne Mobbs
Michael O'Mara
Nonfiction, Art
Themes: Anthropomorphism, Felines
***+
Description
"Catland" is a general term for the world of old-time anthropomorphic cats in popular illustration. Most often associated with Louis Wain, many artists contributed their own visions to this popular genre. This book collects vintage images of cats in all seasons and all occupations.
Review
I've actually had this for some time, and just realized I'd never reviewed it. Much like the The Cat Made Me Buy It! books on cats in old-time ads, this is primarily a visual collection of cats from illustrations, postcards, ads, and other sources. It starts with a brief history of the origins of the Catland phenomenon (it was Louis Wain himself who coined the term "Catland" in one of his images), but most of the book is an annotated art collection. The pictures themselves range from almost real to highly cartoony, from elegant to rough. As with most visual archives, I rated it for the variety of illustrations; the text, while vaguely informative, really isn't the point.