'25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy' and 'Holy Cats by Andy Warhol's Mother'.
Written and illustrated by Andy Warhol and Julia Warhola.
Published by Panache Press, London, in 1987
First Edition.
Condition: Excellent. No major marks or inscriptions. Clean, crisp pages. Both lovely vintage copies. There are two very minor, faint marks on cover of ‘25 Cats’. Not really visible unless you’re looking for them! Slipcase is also in VG+ condition.
'25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy' and 'Holy Cats by Andy Warhol's Mother' were both privately pressed and originally published in 1954 in a limited quantity of 190 copies each when Andy Warhol and his mother Julia Warhola were sharing a small apartment together, prior to Warhol's fame.
'25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy' consists of 19 lithographs that were hand-colored with watercolour by the artist and his friends, while his mother Julia Warhola did the beautiful calligraphy.
'Holy Cats' is a homage to the 26 cats that lived with Warhol and his mother in their New York townhouse, all of which were named Sam (except for one, named Hester). In this book, Andy's mother Julia takes centre stage, providing her delicate calligraphic penmanship but also her charming drawings of cats and angels.
Of the 190 copies originally created by Andy and Julia, almost all were given to friends and family, and unsurprisingly can now fetch up to millions of pounds in auction.
Thankfully, in 1987, the amazing Panache Press in London faithfully recreated these books, still in a comparatively limited run, and housed them in the original slipcase designed by Yolanda Cuomo.
This is a rare opportunity to buy these extraordinary titles in 1987 first edition, and in excellent condition.