101 Uses for a Dead Cat
101 Uses for a Dead Cat, by Simon Bond, was a bestselling collection of macabre cartoons. The book was promoted with the tag line, "Since time immemorial mankind has been plagued by the question, 'What do you do with a dead cat?'" It consisted of cartoons depicting the bodies of dead cats being used for various purposes, including anchoring boats, sharpening pencils and holding bottles of wine.
| 101 Uses for a Dead Cat | |
|---|---|
| File:101UsesforDeadCat.jpg Original cover | |
| Author(s) | Simon Bond |
| Country | United States |
| Genre(s) | Black comedy, Cartoons |
| Publication date | 1981 |
| ISBN | 0-517-54516-0 |
Release
editFirst published in 1981, the collection was eventually republished in 20 countries and sold over 2 million copies.[1] It spawned two sequels, 101 More Uses of a Dead Cat and Uses of a Dead Cat in History, as well as calendars featuring the cartoons and even a book in response called The Cat's Revenge - More Than 101 Uses for Dead People. In 2006, a 25th anniversary edition of A Hundred and One Uses of a Dead Cat was published with a new foreword.[1]
Reception
editBy December 7, 1981, it had spent 27 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list.[2] Its success was considered part of a larger "cat craze" in popular culture, which included the Jim Davis comic strip Garfield, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. [3]
Time called the author and illustrator, Simon Bond, "the Charles Addams of ailurophobia." He received hate mail accusing him of obscenity and sadism.[2]
American opinion stated that those who read the book should be "prepared to be disgusted or appalled from time to time".[4] It has also been noted that the depiction of a dead cat being used as a pencil sharpener was a "pretty obvious depiction of rape".[5]
References
edit- ^ a b 101 Uses for a Dead Cat. In Cartoonstock.. Retrieved September 14, 2010 from http://www.cartoonstock.com/101_dead_cats/index.htm
- ^ a b "A Comeuppance for Cats". Time. 21 September 1981. Retrieved 09 June 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Hinckley, David (2 August 1981). "Light Feet: The Surge of Cat Books Is What the Veterinarian Ordered For America". St. Petersburg Independent. pp. 2–B. Retrieved 09 June 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ American opinion, Vol. 25. Robert Welch, Inc. 1982. p. 64.
- ^ Togers, Katherine M. (2006). Cat. Reaktion Books. p. 139. ISBN 9781861892928.