The Animal's Companion

People and their Pets, a 26,000-Year Love Story

Jacky Colliss Harvey

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Paperback

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English

Atlantic Books
03 June 2019

Literary essays; History; Social & cultural history; Social & cultural anthropology; Domestic animals & pets

The earliest evidence of a human and a pet can be traced as far back as 26,000 BC in France where a boy and his 'canid' took a walk through a cave. Their foot and paw prints were preserved together on the muddy cave floor, and smoke from the torch the boy carried was left on the walls, allowing archaeologists to carbon-date their journey. And so, the story unfolds, from these prehistoric days all the way up to the present, of humans' innate and undeniable need to live in the close company of animals.

In this startling new work, acclaimed cultural detective and life-long pet owner Jacky Colliss Harvey uses her compelling story-telling skills and keen eye for historical investigation to examine our role as animals' companions, in this exploration of the history not of the pet, but of us as pet-owners.

Drawing on literary, artistic and archaeological evidence of our relationships with other species, over thousands of years of human experience, she examines the when, the how and the why of our connection to those animals we take into our lives, assessing these against the latest scientific thinking on this complex and enthralling subject, and suggesting new insights into this most long-standing of all human love-affairs.

By: Jacky Colliss Harvey
Imprint: Atlantic Books
Country of Publication: Australia
Edition: Main
Dimensions: Height: 218mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 545g
ISBN: 9781760295783
ISBN 10: 1760295787
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 03 June 2019
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jacky Colliss Harvey is a writer and editor. She studied English at Cambridge University and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has worked in museum publishing for the last 20 years and is a commentator and reviewer who speaks in both the UK and abroad on the arts and popular culture. She divides her time between London and New York. Her last book was Red: A History of the Redhead.

Reviews for The Animal's Companion: People and their Pets, a 26,000-Year Love Story

A fascinating new book. * Guardian on RED * A bright and breezy cultural history. * Daily Telegraph on RED * An entertaining romp through the meaning and mythology of red hair. * Sunday Times on RED * Engagingly informative. * Daily Mail on RED * Colliss Harvey is an engaging narrator. She sets scenes and creates immediacy. She writes eloquently, sometimes humorously, often rousingly. * Independent on RED * Informative, irresistible, quirky and deeply perceptive. Anyone who has ever loved a creature should read this book. -- Sir Roy Strong [A] lively exploration...Colliss Harvey has an eye for surprising details and a lovely way with description. * Sunday Times *