Catdreams

"Millions of us have loved B. Kliban's Cat for a couple of decades now, ever since we were first introduced to the frolicky feline in the mid 1970s through the now-classic book 'Cat.' Kliban's Cat is one of the most beloved icons of popular culture. The drawings and paintings Kliban created have lost none of the appeal that first grabbed us back then and that continues to grab initiates today. "CatDreams brings together the joyfully mesmerizing paintings Kliban executed for a series of calendars first published between 1977 and 1981 and juxtaposes them with many of his irresistible cartoon drawings. A keepsake volume that generations of Cat lovers--and soon-to-be Cat-lovers--will bask in for years to come, it is the first full-color book to compile all of Kliban's calendar paintings, allowing us, at last, to keep all our Cats under one roof. ¶ 96 pages, size: 10.25 x 8.25". 84 full-color painting reproductions and cartoons. Smythe-sewn paperback book with flaps."--© Pomegranate

Absolutely fabulous collection of in-full-color surreal cat illustrations that are just plain dreamy. If you're more into the offbeat humor of Kliban's book than his signature artwork, this may not be the book for you; while some of the Kliban humor is there, the focus is definitely on the artwork. These "Catdreams" are simultaneously bizarre and calming. My personal favorites are the Astronaut Cat-Napping in Space, the "Hawaiiana-Cat," with flower & ukelele on the moonlit beach, and the cats having high-tea in the middle of winter. Essential item for anybody who is a fan of Kliban and/or cats.

When I was a grad student and T.A. in the '70s, I had on the wall of my office Kliban's "Love to eat them mousies" poster, which frequently caused passersby to stop in for a closer look. Some laughed while others just shook their heads -- which is pretty much how people have always reacted to what I regard as one of the slyest, most consistently funny cartoon artists around. While he did a lot of terrific non-cat drawings, it's for those chunky, funky cats that he's best known, and this collection should please his many fans. They're all here, too: Cats in red basketball shoes and cowboy boots, cats walking their dogs, cats pursuing mice on cross-country skis, cats feeding wieners to the birds in the park, sumo cats, cats enjoying sushi, disorganized cats competing with mice in outrigger canoes, cats playing Dixieland, cats trying on fashionable tail covers in a cat clothing store, cats painting murals, cats lounging around the campfire, and (of course) cats playing mousie-eating folksongs on the guitar. To put it simply, this is great stuff from a very talented man who died much before his time.