Cow

Publishing Details

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Description

From the milk we drink in the morning to the leather shoes we slip on for the day, to the steak we savour at dinner, our daily lives are thoroughly bound up with the cow. Yet there is a far more complex story behind this seemingly benign creature, which Hannah Velten explores here, plumbing the rich trove of myth, fact and legend surrounding the cow, bull and ox. Thought-provoking and informative, Cow restores this oft-overlooked herbivore to the nobility it richly deserves.

Reviews

the books design and illustrations are beautiful . . . Velten has a passion for her subject and it comes across. Her account is sweeping but precisely detailed, and subtly persuasive. You come to believe her theme isnt odd at all: this kind of study and awareness should be mainstream. Look hard at cows and you learn about humans. Fascinating and delightful. * Financial Times Magazine *
a great book . . . a fascinating mix of history, myth and record prices paid for top breeding animals. * Eastern Daily Press *
[an] enjoyable read . . . Cow deserves a place on the bookshelf of everyone concerned for the welfare of animals. * Outrage *
once you have read this book you wont look at cows or beef in the same way again. * Anthrozoos *

Author Bio

Hannah Velten is a freelance writer who has worked extensively with cows and oxen on Australian cattle stations and British dairy farms. She lives in Fletching, Sussex, and is the the author of Cow (Animal series, 2007) and Milk (Edible series, 2010), both published by Reaktion Books.