A Cat's Tale: A Journey Through Feline History

Fun, fanciful, and even informative.
--People

The first comprehensive history of felines--from the laps of pagan gods to present-day status as meme stars--as revealed by a very learned tabby with a knack for hunting down facts

Since the dawn of civilization, felines have prowled alongside mankind as they expanded their territory and spread the myth of human greatness. And today, cats are peddled on social media as silly creatures here to amuse humans with their antics. But this is an absurd, self-centered fantasy. The true history of felines is one of heroism, love, tragedy, sacrifice, and gravitas. Not entirely convinced? Well, get ready, because Baba the Cat is here to set the record straight.

Spanning almost every continent and thousands--yes, thousands--of years, Baba's complex story of feline survival presents readers with a diverse cast of cats long forgotten: from her prehistoric feline ancestors and the ancient Egyptian cat goddess Bastet to the daring mariners at the height of oceanic discovery, key intellectuals in the Enlightenment period, revered heroes from World Wars I and II, and the infamous American tabbies. Baba, a talented model in addition to a scholar, goes beyond surface-level scratches, pairing her freshly unearthed research with a series of stunning costume portraits to bring history to life.

A paws-on journey through the feline hall of fame, with in-depth research and four-legged testaments that will make you rethink who defines history, A Cat's Tale is a one-of-a-kind chronicle that introduces readers to the illustrious ancestors of their closest companions and shows, once and for all, that cats know exactly what they're doing.

Author: Paul Koudounaris, Baba The Cat
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Published: 11/10/2020
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 8.60h x 6.10w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781250217721


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/24/2020

About the Author

Dr. Paul Koudounaris has a PhD in art history from UCLA and an international speaking career, and he is one of the world's most popular historians of the eccentric, ephemeral, and macabre. A beloved fixture in the cat appreciation community, he is annually a speaker at the world's largest cat convention, CatCon, with more than 20,000 attendees. Vice, LA Weekly, Brooklyn Paper, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal have all covered Dr. Koudounaris's cat-related scholarship and photography.

Baba is a domestic short hair tabby with a love for adventure and history. Despite weighing in at less than nine pounds, she is big on the inside and never has any cat or human stood in the way of her getting what she wants. Born to the rough streets of Los Angeles and educated in the school of hard knocks, she was interred in the city's animal shelter at a young age only to be discovered there by her human co-author. She started modeling five years ago and has since graced websites and publications across the world, with several of her images being exhibited in gallery shows and printed as posters. A Cat's Tale is her first book, and she has offered the opinion that writing is drudgery so it will probably turn out to be her last. She still lives in Southern California, and has a sister whose food she steals and otherwise completely ignores.