(Paperback)

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.

(Paperback)

'Llama' charts the history of llamas and their close relatives alpacas, guanacos and vicunas. The book recounts the animal's rich natural history as well as its presence in art, literature and film.

(Paperback)

A cultural and natural history of the moth, which may seem drab compared to the butterfly, but which in fact has more species and brighter colouring than its day-flying cousin.

(Paperback)

Octopus documents the long and multi-faceted relationship between human and cephalopod. The book relates both what is known and unknown about the mind of an octopus, as well as detailing the animal's remarkable natural and cultural history.

(Paperback)

A natural and cultural history of the majestic yet endangered polar bear.

(Paperback)

The shark's basic design was perfected by Mother Nature 100 million years ago. This book explores the natural and cultural history of a creature that has a prominent place in mythology, the imagination, and even religion. It also analyses the ways that the shark has been sensationalised in literature and film.

(Paperback)

A unique exploration of the biology and history of sheep, as well as their place in literature and the other creative arts.

(Paperback)

A wide-ranging, thorough account of the spider, a creature with a rich symbolic presence in the human imagination, this book analyses the spider in art, literature, horror stories, science fiction and film and also looks at arachnophobia, and the psychological association of the spider with dominant women or mothers.

(Paperback)

In Vulture, Thom van Dooren counters the common association of the vulture with death and putrefaction, offering a concise and enlightening new history of this previously much-misunderstood bird.

(Paperback)

An enlightening and entertaining guide to the natural and cultural history of the wasp.

(Paperback)

Highly regarded woodpecker expert Gerard Gorman presents a unique natural, social and cultural history of woodpeckers.

(Paperback)

An insight into the mysterious world of the remarkable, but often underrated worm.

(Paperback)

Ants are legion: at present there are 11,006 species of ant known; they live everywhere in the world except the polar icecaps; and, the combined weight of the ant population has been estimated to make up half the mass of all insects alive today. This title elucidates the cultural reasons behind our varied reactions to these extraordinary insects.

(Paperback)

Few animals are as closely associated with humans as bears. Tracing the evolution of the bear family, the author discusses extinct types, such as the cave bear and the giant short-faced bear, as well as describing the eight species that exist. It explores the bear-human relationship and how human perceptions of bears have changed over time.

(Paperback)

A new title by best-selling author, zoologist, and former television presenter Desmond Morris, Bison is a natural and cultural history of the bison, an iconic animal of the Great Plains of America.

(Paperback)

A vivid portrait of the formidable-looking yet sociable and intelligent crab.

(Paperback)

Flamingo presents the natural and cultural history of the bird in an accessible way, including its behaviors, habitats and rich symbolism. It describes how the bird gets its distinctive pink colour, and why it has become such an iconic animal throughout the world.

(Paperback)

Foxes live throughout the world in widely different habitats from forest to desert to the Arctic. What is surprising, though, is that scientists admit that very little is actually known about the lives and habits of foxes. This book states that the reason for this, is that foxes are almost universally despised as being wicked.

(Paperback)

Giraffe is a comprehensive, twenty-first-century view of the giraffe in human and natural history that contains new insights into the giraffe's genetics, evolution and unique biology and also looks at the giraffe in art, literature, film and popular culture.

(Paperback)

Tracking the hare from ancient Egypt, where a hieroglyph of the animal signified existence itself, to the serial hare works of artist Joseph Beuys, this book finds its subject in many surprising places and forms: from Crucifixion scenes, Buddhist lore and Algonquin creation myths, to witch trials, treatises on logic, and contemporary poetry.

(Paperback)

This is a natural and cultural history of the hippopotamus, the well-loved, cumbersome, rotund mammal famous for lounging around semi-submerged in muddy pools.

(Paperback)

Filled with beguiling images throughout, Lizard is a unique and sometimes surprising introduction to this popular but little-understood reptile. Boria Sax describes the diversity of lizard species and traces the representation of this reptile in cultures worldwide.

(Paperback)

From the Linux logo to The March of the Penguins, a certain tuxedo-wearing member of the animal kingdom has long captured our hearts and imaginations. Stephen Martin regales us here with the cultural and natural history of the penguin, revealing many fascinating and little-known facts about this beloved bird.

(Paperback)

The natural and cultural history of an opportunistic omnivore, the raccoon.