Angela Sayer

Big picture book published in 1994. Jacket text says 'With over 120 stunning and eye-opening photographs it will thrill and amuse dog-lovers everywhere.' I think I agree, for the short time you pick up the book and the time it takes to browse through them. The short amount of text sprinkled through the book are what you would expect for general topics on types of dogs and what is done with them, but you don't pick up this book for the text, you get it for the pictures and they don't show more disappoint. Glad it is in my collection and will be nice to pick up and browse, or share with someone when talking about the wonderful wide variety of what makes up the world of dogs. show less

I love cats. I'm pretty sure I'm a crazy cat lady, so this book is absolutely perfect for me to read! I've had many cats and absolutely love learning more about them (especially since sometimes I wonder if mine are little alien babies hiding in cat bodies).

Things I appreciated:
1. Actual, real pictures of cats. The focus is not on cartoon cats like most cat encyclopedias I remember from my youth.

2. The book is very informative and professional in nature. Evolution, history and breeding are show more just some of the topics discussed within just the first few pages. There is a LOT of information available at the beginning of the book for everything you'd want to know about the cat as a species.

3. The body types of cats really interested me since the cats I've had all varied in size, so it was cool to see the variations.

Things to be worked on:
1. This is a basic introduction to the breeds. It's not exhaustive nor is it full of all of the information you could want on every breed. If you go in looking for just some fun, useful information, then this is the book for you! There is a lot of initial background information on cats as a whole, but you won't learn every piece of information about every cat breed.

2. "Cats are considered less intelligent than dogs." This is totally not a hit against the book, but who are you talking to? All of the cats I've known (minus one) have been way smarter than all of the dogs I've known. Except when my dog knew how to hunt a mouse but my cats didn't, but that's the exception.

Overall, this book is super informative and very helpful! I think this is a great way to start out learning about cats. I'd highly recommend it!

Four out of five stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Chartwell Books for an opportunity to pick up and review this book! show less

Big picture book published in 1994. Jacket text says 'With over 120 stunning and eye-opening photographs it will thrill and amuse dog-lovers everywhere.' I think I agree, for the short time you pick up the book and the time it takes to browse through them. The short amount of text sprinkled through the book are what you would expect for general topics on types of dogs and what is done with them, but you don't pick up this book for the text, you get it for the pictures and they don't show more disappoint. Glad it is in my collection and will be nice to pick up and browse, or share with someone when talking about the wonderful wide variety of what makes up the world of dogs. show less

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cats by Angela Rixon is a lovely compilation of cat facts paired with gorgeous pictures. There are sections that look at the history and the biology of cats, followed by the cat breeds divided into short, medium, and long hair, Oriental, and unusual breeds. Each cat breed has basic breed standards, and care considerations. Little boxes provide extra 'at-a-glance' tips and tidbits. Great gift for the cat enthusiast in your life!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & show more Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less