Tomcat: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition By Jason Brittain, Ian F. Darwin
October 2007
Pages: 494

Cover | Table of Contents | Colophon

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Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Tomcat: The Definitive Guide is a snow leopard. The snow leopard (Uncia uncia) lives in the mountains of Central Asia, a cold, cliffy habitat with sparse vegetation. This medium-sized "big cat" has long body hair, dense underfur, a well-developed chest, and a furry tail that can be wrapped around its face and body for warmth, making it well-suited to the icy, thin air of its native climate. Its white to smoky-gray coloring and dark-gray to black spots blend in with the rocky slopes. Large paws help it walk on snow, and its exceptional leaping ability and feline agility aid in its pursuit of prey. The snow leopard stands about 24 inches at the shoulder, weighs between 60 and 120 pounds, and can kill animals up to three times its weight. Common prey include Himalayan blue sheep, Asiatic ibex, marmot, small rodents, and game birds such as the Tibetan snowcock. Mature snow leopards are solitary animals, living and hunting alone, except during mating season. Young snow leopards are born in the spring and spend their first few months in rocky shelters lined with fur; after that, their mothers lead them on hunts through their first winter. Listed as an endangered species since 1972, the snow leopard population is now estimated to be between 4,500 and 7,500 worldwide. The fur trade, once the main threat to this species, has decreased in recent years, but they are still hunted for their bones, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine as a substitute for tiger bones. The snow leopard's small litters (only two to three cubs per year) make this species particularly vulnerable to extinction. The cover image is from Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed.

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