Few celebrity animals have entertained the internet masses quite like the out-of-this-world marvel that was Lil BUB. Known for her quirky features, the immortalized cat became a web sensation during her eight years on Earth. Now fans have the chance to take home a piece of Lil BUB’s vaunted legacy with “Lil BUB: The Earth Years.”
A fully authorized visual history of the now deceased internet-famous cat from Bloomington, Indiana, “Lil BUB: The Earth Years” features never-before-seen artwork and other memorabilia in 376 pages.
Published by Aaron Tanner, the owner of Evansville-based publishing company Melodic Virtue and friend of Lil BUB’s owner Mike Bridavsky, the book is a departure from Tanner’s typical publishing, which focuses on iconic rock ‘n’ roll bands like the Pixies. Tanner knew Lil BUB her entire life and designed her website and half of her merchandise.
“I was getting ready to start work on another book, a band from the ‘70s out in San Francisco, but once the pandemic hit, I wasn’t able to travel out there to visit their archive,” he says. “Mike hit me up and since I’d already done like a lot of work and he owns most of the photography anyway, I was able to start working on it even though I couldn’t travel, so it worked out kind of well.”
The foreword was written by notable audio engineer Steve Albini and the introduction was penned by cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy. Following are quotes from Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Black, Thurston Moorse, Norbert, Hannah Shaw, and more.
Included with the book is a vinyl 7-inch record with unreleased tracks composed by Lil BUB herself. It has a limited run of 3,000 standard and 500 deluxe editions that are available on Melodic Virtue and Lil BUB’s websites.
Thirty percent of the book’s proceeds will go to benefit Lil BUB’s Big Fund, a non-profit advocating for animals with special needs.
Photo provided by Aaron Tanner.
