Discusses Victorian attitudes towards animals in terms of evolution, class structure, and natural science, and considers breeding, veterinary medicine, pets, and zoos[...]
"Cats is "dogs", and rabbits is "dogs", and so's parrots; but this 'ere "tortis" is a insect", a porter explains to an astonished traveller in a 19th-century "Punch" cartoon. Railways were not the only British institution to schematize the world. This book aims to capture the fervour of the Victoria[...]
Over the past two decades, Harriet Ritvo has established herselfas a leading scholar in animal studies and one of those most responsible forestablishing this field of study as a crucial part of environmental and socialhistory. Her two well-known books, The Platypus and the Mermaid and The AnimalEsta[...]