The Complete Cats in the Sun

by Hans W. Silvester

Book Overview

"The finest pictures ever taken of cats," says The Atlantic Monthly of Hans Silvester's photographs of Greek cats languorously stretched along whitewashed walls and sun-drenched pathways. The Complete Cats in the Sun is the essential Hans Silvester: together in one book are all the free-spirited felines from the enormously popular Cats in the Sun, Asleep in the Sun, and The Mediterranean Cat. This is a beautiful one-volume collection of those memorable...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081182909X
• ISBN13: 9780811829090
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 5.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"

Customer Reviews

The Best Present for a Cat Lover!

I was given this book as a present two months after my own kitty was put down. This is the most wonderful book on cats I've ever seen. It shows quite clearly how different their personalities are and seems to capture the essence of a cat's soul! These beautiful creatures will make you laugh because their personalities just shine through the pages of this wonderfully large coffee table book. Just like cats, they don't need to say anything. There are no quotes within the book, just large beautifully artistic photographs with curious cats smiling, stretching, and being frisky. There is a touching introduction to these critters in the beginning, but then just sit back and make friends with these 400 cats!

Beautiful, Sweet

I was a shelver at the library and one day I was shelving this book. I fell in love and HAD to buy it. The pictures are artistic and beautiful. The cat images capture the essence of cats, and are just simply wonderful. There are no Cat Fancy groomed cats, but just cats acting themselves - stretching, sleeping, curious - it's all there and with exceptional photography. It is difficult to find words to describe this great book, so all I can say is that if you are a cat lover, or know someone who is, this book is the best you could buy. I normally wouldn't buy a book like this, but looking at it is so fun that I had no choice!

Cats in all their glory

A stunning collection of beautiful photography and beautiful cats.In the introduction Mr. Silvester describes how he has created a "dream island" that "exists nowhere else but in this book." He has populated this island with a wonderful array of cats in all their varied sizes, shapes, and colors. He does point out that the life of a stray in the Greek isles is a hard one--where in the world is it NOT hard for a stray? But here, Mr. Sylvester captures, in photo after photo, the amazing elegance and charm of the feline species for the cat lover to enjoy (and the cat skeptic to consider).As a rescuer and owner of 7 cats I see this book as a superb art book as well as an inspiration to continue reaching out to help the feral cats of my community. No part of the world is exempt from this heartbreaking problem. I can only hope that others (including the residents of Greece) can be similarly inspired by this terrific book.

Fabulous photos!

The photos in this book were beautiful. Even if you're not a cat lover, the backdrop of Greece is amazing. The book is a real picture book with very little text except for the author's foreword. I am writing this review to let you know that the "animal lovers beware" review didn't tell you the whole story. I, too, was in Greece (recently) and I know what this reviewer is referring to -- I saw some very shabby cats in need of medical attention and food. However, that said, if the reviewer had bothered to read the author's foreword, they would have noticed that Silvester says that this "cat paradise" exists only in his book and he recognizes that the cats do not have it easy. He then goes on to explain the relationship that the cats have with the Greeks. Having been to Greece, I realized myself that over there cats are sort of like squirrels to us. We tolerate them, sometimes like them and feed them, but for the most part, we see them as part of the environment. That's basically what cats are in Greece, in my opinion.So, take this book for what it is -- it's meant to be a beautiful picture book and not some misinformed statement on the plight of cats in Greece. Buy the book because you'll be amazed, amused, and awed by the pictures. Read the foreword, too, and you'll get a better sense of the whole picture.