Medieval Pets
Title Details

200 Pages

23.4 x 15.6 cm

8 colour, 20 b/w illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press

Medieval Pets

by Kathleen Walker-Meikle

  • Description
  • Contents
  • Author
  • Reviews
An engaging and informative survey of medieval pet keeping which also examines their representation in art and literature.

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.
The Medieval Pet
Getting a pet
Pet welfare
Living with pets
Pets in iconography
Pets in literature

Dr KATHLEEN WALKER-MEIKLE gained her PhD at University College London.

"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
"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 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

Paperback

9781783275694

March 2021

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Hardcover

9781843837589

October 2012

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Ebook (EPUB)

9781782048817

October 2012

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Ebook (EPDF)

9781782040408

October 2012

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Title Details

200 Pages

2.34 x 1.56 cm

8 colour, 20 b/w illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press