In 1791 the book was on sale for £3 17s 0d () and £9 5s 0d (£) if the plates were coloured, but by 1831 the inclusive price was only £3 13s 6d (£) with the recommendation "Catton was an eminent coach-painter and a very superior draftsman.
Before Catton's book had been published, Thomas Bewick, who had been preparing his own book with monochrome woodcut engravings, A General History of Quadrupeds (1790), got into "a pitch of nervous curiosity" about the forthcoming competition.