Books in the Animal Series series

A new addition to Reaktion's animal series, Parrot is a natural history, as well as a fascinating and innovative account of parrots in culture

Hyena investigates this fascinating animal throughout history. Mikita Brottman offers an enlightening view to an often misunderstood animal, showing that the hyena is in fact a complex, intelligent and highly sociable creature.

Chicken provides insight into the astonishing world of the chicken and contains many intriguing facts, including why the largest predator ever to walk the earth is considered the ancestor of the modern chicken and how mother hens communicate with their chicks while they're still in the egg.

Pig is a richly illustrated and compelling look at the natural and cultural history of the pig, and the long, complicated relationship between humans and these highly intelligent, sociable animals.

Donkey follows the story of this faithful, hard-working animal, which despite its critical role in human history, has often received little respect and explores the animal's variety of social, cultural, religious and symbolic meanings, especially its representations in Western art and literature.

Majestic, noble, brave lions, with their tawny coats and luminous eyes, have inspired countless stories, traditions and beliefs. Whether we are seduced by their beauty or drawn to danger, we want to be near them. This book draws on the scientific research, folklore, travel literature, and lion tamers' memoirs to guide readers on a cultural safari.

A distinct symbol of the desert and the Middle East, the camel was once unkindly described as half snake, half folding bedstead. But in the eyes of many the camel is a creature of great beauty. This book explores why the camel has fascinated so many cultures, including those in places where camels are not indigenous.

Aristotle characterized the elephant as the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind, and the animal has long figured in cultural artefacts, even on continents it has never inhabited. Part of the "Animal" series, this title describes the three remaining species - the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant, and the Asian Elephant.

Whales are the largest animals ever to have lived on the earth; a large Blue Whale's tongue alone can weigh more than an elephant. This title recounts the evolutionary and ecological background, as well as the cultural history, of these extraordinary mammals, long persecuted and now celebrated throughout the world.

Explores the intriguing and manifold uses of animal imagery in modern and contemporary art.

Award-winning writer Kim Todd explores the complex history, biology and literary tradition of the cheeky and ubiquitous sparrow, including coverage of the nineteenth-century 'Sparrow War' in the United States over the sparrow's introduction which led to decades of discussion about invasive species.

The owls are not what they seem. From ancient Babylon to Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat and the grandiloquent, absent-minded Wol from Winnie the Pooh to David Lynch's Twin Peaks, owls have woven themselves into the fabric of human culture from earliest times. This book explores the natural and cultural history of owls.

"e;Albatross looks at the place of these iconic birds in a wide variety of human cultures, from early responses by north Atlantic mariners to modern encounters, examining in detail the role the bird plays in the lives of different peoples and societies. The albatross's remarkable ease in the air and its huge wingspan strikes all those who observe them, and the huge journeys they undertake across the oceans inspires awe. The bird has been celebrated through proverbs, folk stories, art, and ceremony. For many, the bird's cultural significance is still determined by Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. People have engaged with the bird over the last two centuries, from those who sought to exploit them to those who devoted their lives to them. Writers, artists and documentary makers have all focused on the albatross and its place in the human imagination has been demonstrated throughout history. The book concludes with a consideration of the bird's changing significance in the modern world, as well as threats to its continued existence and its prospects for the future."e;

In this richly illustrated book Victoria Dickenson explores the natural and cultural history of the rabbit, a winsome long-eared animal that hops through children's stories, myths and legends, and back yards.

In this book John Fletcher describes the evolution, species, habitats, behaviour and diet of the deer, as well as its portrayal in art and influence on popular culture, myth and song.

Will be of interest not only to beekeepers and producers of honey, but also to a wide general audience who appreciate the symbolism, society and cultural meanings of this industrious creature.