The British Museum Book of Cats

by CLUTTON-BROCK

NA

Genres: Nonfiction, Cats, Art, History, Animals

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Nicky Neko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. But I felt a bit short-changed, because most of the artwork in the book was from Japan, but there was no mention of cats in Japan here. It looked mainly at a European/British history of cats, while also examining ancient Egypt etc.

Would've been nice to hear a bit more about China and Japan, especially considering the massive amount of artwork from the latter, which decorated the book.

[Igenlode Wordsmith]

I admit that I picked up this book chiefly in order to fulfil my challenge requirement to complete 120 books before the end of the year, since the ones I am currently reading all have several hundred pages left to go, whereas this has a high percentage of pictures! However, it is interesting- and the pictures are attractive. One has to wonder if the consistently odd and almost Japanese representation of mediaeval cats in art actually reflects a change in the shape of modern cats' heads, rather than just an ongoing problem with perspective...

I wonder also if there is still an unexpected gap in the archaeological record which would indicate that rats and mice were unknown in Northern Europe until relatively recently, being in all likelihood introduced there by human voyagers, as elsewhere in the world - an irony if so. Certainly in their discussion of the free-ranging social habits of cats the authors had not anticipated the modern American habit of keeping pet cats shut permanently indoors into a single apartment; even widespread neutering was still regarded as a novelty likely to lead to hitherto unforeseen changes in the domestic population which had traditionally bred more or less without human selection. It would be interesting to know whether any studies have in fact been done on the distribution of coat colours and other traits as a result of an urban world in which almost all kittens are now deliberately produced for sale, rather than selected for survival as a byproduct of random preference.

(But some of those pictures really are very odd, like the one from the Ashmole Bestiary in which the left-hand cat is clearly washing itself with the familiar 'upthrust hind leg' posture, but where its three-fingered toes look more like dinosaur feet than cat's paws, and where its stylised head barely resembles a cat at all! One can understand odd depictions of creatures like whales or rhinoceroses, but whoever drew that cat had obviously witnessed the real thing in action...)

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I was reading through the content, the material seemed dated, then I realized that the book had originally been published in 1988. While the author discussed the origins of the domesticated cat, I was disheartened that more time was not spent on the individual breeds, for example, the tortoiseshell cat. As to the illustrations, I was grateful that there were a number of color photos, but there were a number of instances where a couple of artists were featured multiple times, creating almost duplication of artistic style or composition. I would have liked to see more artists' felines instead.

[sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about the history of the domesticated cat alongside art and poetry over the ages.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew there were so many pieces of art including cats at the British Museum? This book was informative (and engaging to my five year old - who was gifted this little book)

[Mrs Reddy Mallender-Katzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found very little of this book interesting - Nice pictures though

[Hilde Helseth]

'47. A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite person, place, or thing' - Cats

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and brief summary about the huge history of cats. The pictures were great to analyze alongside bite sized Information. The history of the domesticated cat is truly remarkable.

[Paula Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coffee table books often get short shrift due to the assumption that they are low in content and high in pretty pictures. But books like "Cats: Ancient and Modern" tend to give the lie to that. This book, by a leading academic historian, cleverly mixes illustrations of cats throughout the ages (mostly from the British Museum) with a detailed discussion on the origins and current distribution of domestic and feral cats.

Two caveats--it has been dated by recent DNA studies (it came out in 1993), and has the usual overt focus on England and Western Europe of many Anglophone histories. It could have gone more in-depth into each of its topics, but then it would also have been at least three times as long.

Still, while the book is not as comprehensive as advertised, it's a useful and fun look at the history of the cat.

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book about the history of cats and how and why they were first domesticated. There are some very interesting facts about the genetic history of cats from DNA studies that have been carried out, and how different breeds have come about. All domestic cats are one species, but the European style differs in appearance from the Asian and African style. This is explained by their evolving different fur and physical characteristics as a means of adapting to their environment. I have read a lot of books about cat mythology and cat behaviour, so it is great to read a book about the evolution of the cat species, and the history of its domestication. A must read for cat lovers.

[Tofu Fairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift quite a while ago from a friend who knows me very well. I read it in two days over two different short sittings, while drinking some tea. It is a fast read but very informative and interesting. I will say that the writing could have used some editing and the flow is very choppy and disruptive but, overall, I did enjoy it and would recommend it to any art lover/history lover/cat lover.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The British Museum Book of Cats.
I loved how it had images of the ancient/mummified cats.



Very informative book. 10/10

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

About what I expected when I picked this up during my visit to the British Museum. Not much new information for me but lots of nice pictures of artifacts.

[Merle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting much when I picked it up but it was actually quiet nice and interesting, especially because it went into detail when it came to genetics.