Medieval Pets - by Kathleen Walker-Meikle (Hardcover)

About the Book

An engaging and informative survey of medieval pet keeping which also examines their representation in art and literature.

Book Synopsis

Animals in the middle ages have often been discussed - but usually only as a source of food, as beasts of burden, or as aids for hunters. This book takes a completely different angle, showing that they were also beloved domestic companions to their human owners, whether they were dogs, cats, monkeys, squirrels, and parrots. It offers a full survey of pets and pet-keeping: from how they were acquired, kept, fed, exercised, and displayed, to the problems they could cause. It also examines the representation of pets and their owners in art and literature; the many charming illustrations offer further evidence for the bonds between humans and their pets, then as now. A wide range of sources, including chronicles, letters, sermons and poems, are used in what is both an authoritative and entertaining account. Dr Kathleen Walker-Meikle is a Wellcome Trust Fellow at the University of York, working on animals and medieval medicine.

Review Quotes

Medieval Pets is a highly accessible and digestible look at one small slice of medieval life.-- "STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING"

A delightful read for anyone interested in the history of pet-keeping, human-animal relations in general, and identity construction in later medieval Europe.-- "MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY"

A novel and comprehensive survey. [...] Not only a milestone in the history of our obsession with pets, but also furthers our understanding of the complexity of human-animal relations in the past.-- "BBC HISTORY"

A useful addition to a growing body of specialist literature, and in addition, anyone who has ever owned a pet will find it fascinating.-- "REVIEWS IN HISTORY"