Art

First edition, first printing, number 69 from a limited edition of 190 copies signed by Warhol. Despite the number given in the title, the book is complete, illustrating a total of 18 cats named Sam (one on the cover, two on one plate) and one blue pussy. The text is by Charles Lisanby and the calligraphy is by Warhol's mother, Julia Warhola. The colouring is unique to each copy. The book belongs to the earliest period of Warhol's artistic career, before he started using silkscreens in the early 1960s. Warhol had moved to New York in 1949 and began work as a commercial artist. In the 1950s Warhol translated the blotted line drawings he used as a commercial artist into an offset printing process and began making books with his friends in limited editions to be given as gifts for promotional purposes. Small quarto. Original white boards, illustration on paper hand-coloured in pink and yellow with lettering in black pasted to front cover. Housed in a blue quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. With 18 offset lithographs hand coloured by Warhol and friends with Dr. Martin's aniline watercolour dye on Ticonderoga Text watermarked laid paper, one used as the front cover. Each sheet 22.9 x 15 cm. An excellent copy.