Sidney's Animal & Fowl Catalogue
Sidney's Animal & Fowl Catalogue is the definitive price guide and market authority for all living and extinct animals in the post-apocalyptic world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, functioning as both a commercial directory and a moral compass that quantifies the value of life in a society where genuine animals have become rare and precious status symbols. Its listings, updated with periodic supplements, set the benchmark for animal transactions, determine the cost of replacements, and even shape the characters' deepest aspirations and ethical dilemmas, making it an indispensable reference for anyone who owns, desires, or has lost an animal.
Authority and Structure
Sidney's Catalogue is the universally recognized standard for animal valuation, consulted by characters from all walks of life. Rick Deckard carries a "creased, much-studied copy" in his coat pocket, using it to check prices on everything from Percheron colts to black Nubian goats. The catalogue's authority is so absolute that when Deckard sees the Rosen Association's owl, he instinctively checks Sidney's and finds it listed as extinct, marked with the letter "E" — a designation he trusts without question. The catalogue's listings are organized by species and condition, with prices for "mint, male, young, well" specimens clearly stated. When a species has no available stock, the price appears in italics, indicating the last transaction value rather than an offer for sale. The catalogue's influence extends to the false-animal repair business: when a real cat dies in the care of the Van Ness Pet Hospital, the owner is offered compensation at "Sidney's list price." The catalogue even shapes Deckard's negotiation for a goat, as he "looked up the listing, on goats, black Nubian" before agreeing to a price.
Role in Animal Commerce and Status
The catalogue serves as the primary tool for navigating the complex economy of animal ownership, where a genuine creature is the ultimate status symbol. Deckard's electric sheep is a fraud that he maintains to avoid social disgrace, and his desire to replace it with a real animal is measured against Sidney's prices. When he considers buying an ostrich, the salesman insists their price is "a thousand dollars under book" and urges Deckard to "check your Sidney's" to verify. The catalogue also reveals the scarcity of certain species: Percheron colts are listed in italics because "they don't have any in stock," and a raccoon's price is "astronomical" because "none existed on the market for sale at any figure." The Rosen Association, as a powerful corporation, has a special relationship with Sidney's, receiving the February supplement three days before its public release — a violation of public trust that Deckard notes with annoyance.
Connection to Extinction and Loss
Sidney's Catalogue is also a chronicle of extinction, its pages filled with the letter "E" marking species that no longer exist. When Deckard sees the Rosen Association's owl, he checks the catalogue and finds it listed as extinct, a fact that underscores the rarity and value of the creature. The catalogue's listings for extinct animals serve as a somber reminder of the world's biological devastation. Later, when Deckard discovers a toad in the desert, he frantically consults his "much-creased Sidney's" and finds "TOAD (Bufonidae), all varieties . . . . . . . . . . . . . E." — only to discover the toad is electric, a cruel irony that mirrors the catalogue's role as a record of what has been lost. The catalogue thus becomes a symbol of the tension between the desire for authentic life and the reality of a world where even the most precious creatures may be mere simulations.
Narrative and Thematic Significance
Sidney's Catalogue is more than a commercial directory; it is a moral and existential yardstick in a world where the line between the real and the artificial has blurred. The catalogue's prices and availability shape the characters' motivations: Deckard's entire quest to retire androids is driven by his need for bounty money to buy a real animal, and his success is measured by his ability to afford a goat. The catalogue also exposes the hypocrisy of a society that values animal life above all else, yet tolerates the destruction of androids. When Deckard's goat is killed, the loss is not just emotional but financial, measured against the catalogue's valuation. The catalogue's presence in the narrative underscores the commodification of life itself, where even the most sacred creatures are reduced to a price tag, and the pursuit of authenticity becomes a matter of economic calculation.
