Cats in Books - A Celebration of Cat Illustration through the Ages
Edited by Rodney Dale
On 26 September 2008, the British Library publishes a lavishly illustrated volume featuring some of the finest depictions of cats as they have appeared in books over the centuries. Some, like Sir John Tenniel's classic Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, are well known, while other unique and less familiar images of cats are reproduced from treasured British Library manuscripts, including the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Luttrell Psalter.
From Ancient Egypt onwards, illustrators have endeavoured to capture the character of this notoriously elusive animal. Cats in Books features over 100 images of cats reproduced from manuscripts and books spanning more than 1,000 years – from the cats depicted in the eighth century Book of Kells to the beloved creatures created by Edward Lear, Beatrix Potter and Kathleen Hale.
Illustrations by artists including Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Arthur Rackham, and Aubrey Beardsley also feature, together with images taken from Edward Gorey's playful version of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and Kathleen Hale’s Orlando.
Feline fans and bibliophiles alike will delight in the cats depicted in this new paperback edition. Over 6000 copies of the hardback edition have already been sold in the UK.
For further information, images or review copies, contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk
Notes for Editors
Cats in Books by Rodney Dale, is published in paperback by the British Library, 26 September 2008, price £6.95 (112 pages, 135 x 210mm, 100 colour and black and white illustrations, ISBN 978 0 7123 5023 5).
Available from the British Library Shop (tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7735 / e-mail: bl-bookshop@bl.uk) and online at www.bl.uk/shop as well as other bookshops throughout the UK.
Rodney Dale is a lifelong cat lover and the author of some 30 books including the first biography of cat illustrator Louis Wain (1860–1939).
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk.