Ernie: A Photographer's Memoir

Tony Mendoza spent two years taking around 10,000 photographs of Ernie while living in rented accommodation in New York during the early eighties. Tony had never lived with a cat before and became fascinated by Ernie. Tony had difficulty getting his photographs published, but when eventually he succeeded, book sales far exceeded expectations. Despite its success, the book eventually went out of print and became a collectors' item. Eventually, public pressure mounted and Tony found a new publisher. This new, improved edition includes some extra photos omitted from the original book.

The text is highly amusing. Tony expresses his own thoughts about some of the situations while also suggesting what Ernie might be thinking. What really makes this book great is that Tony clearly respects Ernie, who definitely seems to be the dominant power in the relationship. All the photos are black and white, which may disappoint some people, but the quality makes up for that. Tony's photographic instincts ensured that he captured Ernie in all his moods, making for a very interesting book. If you're looking for soppy pictures of a cute kitty, you won't find them here - Ernie doesn't seem like the type of cat to waste his time posing for such shots anyway. Ernie (it seems) likes to live life on the wild side but is very protective of his own territory. Beware any other cat or (worse) dog that encroaches.

This book will make a wonderful gift for cat lovers everywhere but its appeal goes far beyond that substantial market. Ernie might even convince a few non-believers that cats are a lot more interesting than they ever imagined.


Ernie, the Real Unadulterated Cat   March 2, 2005
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is one of my favourite books ever, and I normally like them with a lot more words in them. Here, the photos tell the story, and by the time you've finished the book, you feel like you know Ernie.

Ernie is one hell of a streetwise puss. If you like pictures showing kittens in cuuuuute positions, possibly even adorned with flowers or "adorable" pieces of human clothing, stay away! This is a book for lovers of Terry Pratchett's Unadulterated Cat, and some of the pictures will make you wince as if you could feel the claws going in. Others will make you laugh out loud.

The photography is simply beautiful to look at. These are true portraits of Ernie the Cat rather than staged photos with a cat prop. If you like cats with attitude, buy it. If you like photography, buy it. If you are Tony Mendoza, THANK YOU!!


Purrrrfect!!   October 16, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Tony Mendoza is such a talented photographer and has a sharp sense of humour as you will see in the text that accompanies the pictures. These are not your ordinary cutesy photographs - Ernie is a cat with attitude and it certainly shows in the highly crafted, detailed shots of our street-wise city cat. A must for all cat lovers everywhere!


Original and amusing portrait of one weird cat   August 8, 2001
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

An absolute must for lovers of cats everywhere, Ernie is not your regular fluffy kitty. Ernie is a New York cat with attitude and this collection of black and white prints is a real cult item. It went out of print for some years but now it's back, much to my relief (I lost my original copy some years back). A beautifully packaged book, I recommend this for yourself or as a truly different present.