Feline Friends

This book is a superb pick-me-up for friends, relatives, and even one's self. It is enjoyable not only for the superb and well-chosen photographs, but also for the intelligent and literate quotes that are perfectly paired with the photos. (The quotes are from--among others--such unlike and unlikely persons as Adlai Stevenson and William S. Burroughs.) The book's manageble size (6.6 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches) also makes it a thoughtful gift for children, or adults who are shut-ins or hospitalized. This one will not languish on a coffee table!

This little British import is one of those books you can get through in 15 minutes, but once you have, you'll want to keep it on hand for those times when you just feel like looking at photographs of your favorite animal (presumably the cat). For the most part it's organized in double-page spreads, each including a color photo of one or more cats or kittens and a quote relating to the species. The sayings range from anonymous "proverbs" to several by P. G. Wodehouse, Mark Twain, Dickens, and Colette, while the pictures are just indescribably delightful--and often surprisingly well chosen, like the tiny black-and-white kitten racing across a green lawn to illustrate Stevie Smith's "Oh, I am a cat that likes to gallop about doing good" (from "The Galloping Cat") or the rear view of a plume-tailed longhair paired with Hugh Leonard's "Its tail was a plume of such magnificence that it almost wore the cat." The kittens, of course, are universally charming. If you have a lover of cats and cat photography on your gift list, it's not too early to order a copy; the recipient is sure to be overjoyed.