Andy Warhol (1928-1987) “25 Cats name Sam and one Blue Pussy”

Code: 10259

Dimensions:

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
“25 Cats name Sam and one Blue Pussy”
Circa 1954
Facsimile Publication, Chatto & Windus, 1988
Two volumes boxed set, along with “Holy Cats by Andy Warhol’s mother”(by Julia Warhola 1891-1972)
23.3 cm x 15.4 cm x 2.4 cm (approx.)

An increasingly scarce reissue of Warhol’s endearing, privately published cat book.

Andy’s mother provided the calligraphy and inscribed the names of all the cats (all bar one named Sam and of which, in fact, there are only 15). The title of the book (with its over-counted cats) was partly conceived by Warhol’s friend Charles Lisanby (1924-2013) and so he was, therefore, given a writing credit as the “author” (in fact there is no text!) The unusual syntax of “25 Cats name Sam” (rather than “named Sam”) was the result of Warhol’s mother missing off the “d” - but you can almost hear her Slavonic accent in the wording here.

Warhol’s nascent style can clearly be seen in these early feline drawings. The plates were produced as photo-offset prints, which were then bound and individually hand-coloured by Warhol and his friends in what would become his signature bright colours.

“25 Cats” was the first of Warhol’s books to be bound and was supposedly issued in a limited edition of 190 numbered copies. Andy was not very diligent in numbering these and several low numbers were issued to multiple copies so various of his friends who he wished to flatter could have the lower numbers (issue “69” was, amusingly, also given to several people as a salacious joke)! The copy reissued in facsimile here is “No 4”.

This box-set was issued, with the approval of Warhol’s Estate, along with a facsimile of Julia Warhola’s book “Holy Cats by Andy Warhol’s mother” which Andy had encouraged her to produce in around 1957 (whilst also giving himself a billing). He promoted his mother as a naive, calligraphy-led counterpart to Grandma Moses.

An increasingly hard to find and sought after box-set in fine condition.